CVE-2014-7493 in 100 Books
Summary
by MITRE
The 100 Books (aka com.ireadercity.c20) application 3.0.2 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-2014-7493 affects the 100 Books Android application version 3.0.2, specifically targeting its implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue represents a critical failure in the application's cryptographic security measures, as it fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant security gap that can be exploited by malicious actors to intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile application and remote servers. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles governing secure network communications and represents a clear deviation from industry best practices for mobile application security.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification during SSL handshakes. When the application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it does not validate the authenticity of the server's X.509 certificate against trusted certificate authorities or check for proper certificate signatures and expiration dates. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-295 category of "Improper Certificate Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which describes network service scanning and exploitation of weak cryptographic implementations. The application essentially accepts any certificate presented by a server, making it susceptible to various man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can present fraudulent certificates to establish fake secure connections.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to obtain sensitive information through crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. Mobile users of the 100 Books application may unknowingly transmit personal data, login credentials, or other confidential information to attacker-controlled servers that masquerade as legitimate service endpoints. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates silently without alerting users to the compromised connection, making detection extremely difficult. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, or even inject malicious content into the application's communication streams, potentially leading to account takeovers or broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The development team must implement robust certificate pinning techniques, ensuring that only certificates from trusted authorities or specific known certificates are accepted during SSL connections. This approach aligns with security frameworks such as the OWASP Mobile Security Project recommendations for secure communication and addresses the specific ATT&CK technique T1566 related to credential access through network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, the application should implement certificate transparency checks and maintain an up-to-date certificate store to prevent the acceptance of revoked or compromised certificates. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to ensure ongoing compliance with cryptographic security standards and prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future updates.