CVE-2014-7486 in Road Assist
Summary
by MITRE
The Mitsubishi Road Assist (aka com.agero.mitsubishi) application 1.0 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-2014-7486 affects the Mitsubishi Road Assist Android application version 1.0, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile application's implementation of secure communications. This issue resides within the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanism, which is fundamental to establishing trust between mobile clients and remote servers. The absence of proper certificate validation creates a significant attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise the integrity of data transmission between the mobile device and Mitsubishi's backend services.
The technical flaw stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL handshakes, specifically falling into the category of weak cryptographic practices as defined by CWE-295. This vulnerability allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the unverified client. The application essentially accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the required certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor checking that are standard requirements for secure SSL/TLS implementations. This weakness directly violates the fundamental principles of secure communication protocols and creates an environment where sensitive user data can be intercepted or modified without detection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass potential full system compromise and data theft. Mobile applications that handle sensitive information such as vehicle diagnostics, location data, or user credentials are particularly vulnerable when they fail to implement proper certificate validation. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept communications containing personal information, vehicle tracking data, or authentication tokens that could be used for further attacks against the user or the Mitsubishi ecosystem. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of data in transit, potentially enabling attackers to modify responses from Mitsubishi servers or inject malicious content into the communication stream. This type of attack falls under the ATT&CK technique T1041 for data compression and T1566 for credential access through social engineering, as the compromised application can be used as a vector for further infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The fix should include implementing certificate pinning, where the application maintains a trusted list of certificate fingerprints or public keys that are expected from the server, and performing comprehensive certificate chain validation against trusted root certificates. Additionally, the application must implement hostname verification to ensure that the certificate presented matches the expected server domain. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate certificate validation failures or attempted man-in-the-middle attacks. The remediation process should follow security standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 for mobile security practices, ensuring that the application adheres to industry best practices for secure communications and cryptographic implementation.