CVE-2014-7538 in Headlines news India
Summary
by MITRE
The Headlines news India (aka com.dreamstep.wHEADLINESNEWSINDIA) application 0.21.13219.95110 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-2014-7538 affects the Headlines news India Android application version 0.21.13219.95110, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that exposes users to sophisticated man-in-the-middle threats. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security guarantees that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate verification mechanism within the application's network communication stack. When the Headlines news India application attempts to establish secure connections with its backend servers, it fails to validate the server certificates against trusted certificate authorities or perform proper certificate chain validation. This omission allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept and manipulate all data transmitted between the mobile device and the server. The vulnerability specifically affects the SSL/TLS handshake process, where certificate validation should occur but does not, creating a persistent security weakness that can be exploited across all network communications within the application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to completely compromise the application's security model and potentially gain access to sensitive user information. Mobile applications that rely on secure communications for user authentication, personal data transmission, or content delivery become particularly vulnerable when they fail to validate server certificates. This flaw enables attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, access private communications, and potentially inject malicious content into the application's data streams. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate application functionality but also undermines user trust in the security of their personal information and communications.
The security implications align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices outlined in industry standards such as those established by OWASP Mobile Top 10. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1592 for reconnaissance activities and T1041 for data transmission, as attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to user data and communications. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms, regularly update their security libraries, and conduct thorough security assessments of mobile applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising user security and privacy.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of certificate verification mechanisms within the application's network layer, adoption of certificate pinning to prevent the use of unauthorized certificates, and comprehensive security testing of all network communications. Mobile application developers must ensure that SSL/TLS connections properly validate certificate chains, implement proper trust store management, and regularly update their security libraries to address known vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish incident response procedures to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper certificate validation in mobile application security and the potential consequences of neglecting this fundamental security control.