CVE-2014-7492 in Secretos de belleza
Summary
by MITRE
The Secretos de belleza (aka com.rareartifact.secretosdebelleza83A55CB8) 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 described in CVE-2014-7492 represents a critical security flaw in the Secretos de belleza Android application version 1.0, specifically targeting the application's handling of secure communication protocols. This issue falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is a fundamental weakness in cryptographic security implementations. The application's failure to properly verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers creates a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear lack of proper security controls that should be implemented in any mobile application handling sensitive information, particularly those that may involve personal data or financial transactions.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to validate the authenticity of SSL certificates presented by servers during secure communication sessions. When an Android application establishes an HTTPS connection, it should verify that the server's certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority and that it properly validates the certificate chain. This process involves checking certificate expiration dates, verifying the certificate's signature against the issuing CA's public key, and ensuring that the certificate's subject matches the server's domain name. The Secretos de belleza application bypasses these essential verification steps, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly relates to CWE-295, which specifically addresses the improper verification of certificates and other trust anchors, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 for data encryption for exfiltration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial, as it enables man-in-the-middle attacks that can lead to complete compromise of user sessions and data interception. Attackers can exploit this weakness by intercepting network traffic between the application and its servers, presenting forged certificates that the application accepts without proper validation. This allows malicious actors to eavesdrop on communications, modify data in transit, or redirect users to malicious servers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the fundamental security model of the application's communication layer, potentially exposing user credentials, personal information, and any other sensitive data transmitted through the application. Users may unknowingly provide sensitive information to attackers who have successfully impersonated legitimate servers, creating a significant risk of identity theft and financial fraud.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning to ensure that the application only accepts specific certificates or certificate authorities, rather than accepting any valid certificate from any trusted CA. The application should also implement proper certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate signatures, and ensuring domain name matches. Additionally, the application should utilize secure communication libraries that properly handle SSL/TLS certificate validation by default. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish incident response procedures for addressing such vulnerabilities. This remediation effort aligns with industry best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and follows the security guidelines established by the Android security team for secure mobile application development. The fix should be prioritized as a critical security patch to prevent exploitation and protect user data from unauthorized access.