CVE-2014-7536 in Service Academy Forums
Summary
by MITRE
The Service Academy Forums (aka com.tapatalk.serviceacademyforumscom) application 3.6.12 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 • 10/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7536 affects the Service Academy Forums Android application version 3.6.12, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant pathway for malicious actors to compromise the security of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The issue directly impacts the application's ability to establish secure connections, fundamentally undermining the integrity of the communication channel.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate validation mechanism within the application's SSL implementation, which falls under CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation. This vulnerability allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. The absence of certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation means that the application cannot distinguish between legitimate servers and malicious imposters, creating an environment where sensitive user data can be intercepted or manipulated during transmission. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's trust model, which should normally validate certificate authorities and certificate signatures before establishing secure connections.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial, as it enables attackers to obtain sensitive information from users of the Service Academy Forums application. This includes but is not limited to user credentials, personal information, and any data transmitted through the application's communication channels. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for an application that serves the military academy community, where the potential for compromise extends beyond individual user privacy to include potential national security implications. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to forums, user accounts, and potentially sensitive communications within the military academy network context.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms, including certificate pinning to specific trusted certificate authorities, and ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections undergo rigorous certificate verification before establishing secure communication channels. The application should be updated to validate certificate chains against trusted root certificates and implement proper error handling for certificate validation failures. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish secure communication protocols that align with industry standards such as those recommended by NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation and highlights the need for continuous security auditing of mobile applications that handle sensitive information, particularly those serving military or government entities where security requirements are elevated.