CVE-2014-7485 in Not Lost Just Somewhere Else
Summary
by MITRE
The Not Lost Just Somewhere Else (aka it.tinytap.attsa.notlost) application 1.6.1 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 • 10/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7485 affects the Not Lost Just Somewhere Else Android application version 1.6.1, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant pathway for malicious actors to compromise the security of data transmission between the mobile device and remote servers. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers, as it accepts any certificate presented without proper verification mechanisms.
The technical implementation flaw resides in the application's SSL certificate validation process, where the security checks that should confirm the authenticity and integrity of server certificates are either completely absent or inadequately implemented. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The certificate verification process typically relies on checking certificate chains against trusted certificate authorities, validating certificate expiration dates, and ensuring proper domain matching, all of which are bypassed in this implementation. According to CWE-295, this vulnerability represents a failure to properly validate certificates, which is a well-documented weakness in secure communication protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to not only eavesdrop on communications but also to actively manipulate data in transit. Mobile applications that rely on secure communication channels for user authentication, data synchronization, or sensitive information exchange become particularly vulnerable when they fail to implement proper certificate validation. Attackers can exploit this weakness to redirect users to malicious servers, steal session tokens, intercept personal information, or even modify data being transmitted between the application and legitimate services. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data obfuscation and interception methods that can be employed to compromise secure communications.
Organizations and developers should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to a version that properly validates SSL certificates, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections verify certificate chains against trusted authorities. The solution should incorporate proper certificate validation routines that check certificate signatures, expiration dates, and domain matching against the expected server names. Additionally, developers should consider implementing certificate pinning to prevent the acceptance of any certificate except those explicitly trusted, which provides an additional layer of protection against certificate forgery attacks. Security audits should verify that all network communications in mobile applications properly implement certificate validation, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining secure communication channels in mobile environments where data sensitivity and user privacy are paramount considerations.