CVE-2014-7471 in international-arbitration-attorney.com
Summary
by MITRE
The international-arbitration-attorney.com (aka com.w0f1d79a1010d819acbee876007d0bebc) application 0.1 for Android does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7471 represents a critical security flaw in the international-arbitration-attorney.com Android application version 0.1, specifically targeting the application's handling of SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanisms. This weakness falls under the broader category of insufficient certificate validation, which is a fundamental security control in cryptographic communications. The application's failure to properly verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers creates a significant attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors to establish fraudulent communication channels with end users.
The technical implementation flaw in this Android application stems from the absence of proper certificate chain validation and trust verification processes. When an application fails to validate SSL certificates against trusted certificate authorities, it essentially removes the cryptographic assurance that the communication endpoint is legitimate. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a classic example of how mobile applications can bypass critical security controls that are standard in secure communication implementations. The application's certificate verification process is entirely absent, allowing any certificate to be accepted regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly in the context of sensitive information handling. Attackers can leverage this flaw to conduct successful man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. This capability enables attackers to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive data transmitted between the mobile application and its backend servers. The implications extend beyond simple data theft to include potential financial fraud, identity theft, and compromise of confidential arbitration information that the application is designed to handle. The vulnerability affects the application's integrity and confidentiality guarantees, undermining the fundamental security assumptions that users and organizations rely upon when using mobile applications for sensitive transactions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms combined with robust certificate validation routines that verify certificate chains against trusted root authorities. Organizations should implement certificate transparency checks and ensure that the application validates certificate signatures, expiration dates, and subject alternative names against established trust stores. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers network service scanning that can be used to identify vulnerable endpoints. Additionally, implementing secure coding practices that align with OWASP Mobile Top 10 recommendations would prevent similar vulnerabilities in future application development cycles.