CVE-2014-7542 in L'informatiu
Summary
by MITRE
The l Informatiu (aka com.linformatiu.spm) application 2.0 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 • 10/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7542 affects the l Informatiu Android application version 2.0, specifically targeting its cryptographic security implementation. This represents a critical flaw in the application's secure communication protocols that fundamentally undermines the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The issue manifests as a complete failure to validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating an exploitable weakness that directly violates established security best practices for mobile application development.
This technical flaw constitutes a severe breakdown in the application's certificate validation mechanism, allowing malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks without detection. The absence of proper certificate verification means that the application accepts any SSL certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols, and represents a fundamental failure in the application's cryptographic implementation that enables unauthorized data interception and manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it creates an environment where attackers can establish fraudulent communication channels with the application. An attacker positioned between the mobile device and legitimate server can present a forged certificate that appears valid to the vulnerable application, enabling them to decrypt and modify sensitive information transmitted through the connection. This weakness particularly affects applications handling personal data, financial information, or other confidential content, as the attacker can intercept communications, inject malicious data, or perform session hijacking attacks that compromise user privacy and system integrity.
The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for spearphishing with attachments, as attackers can exploit this weakness to establish persistent access points for further exploitation. Organizations deploying this application face significant risk of data breaches, credential theft, and potential regulatory violations under data protection laws such as GDPR or HIPAA. The attack surface is particularly concerning given the widespread use of mobile applications for sensitive transactions and the difficulty users have in detecting such cryptographic failures.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms, enforcing strict certificate validation procedures, and deploying automated security testing tools to identify similar vulnerabilities in mobile applications. The application must be updated to validate certificate chains against trusted certificate authorities, implement certificate transparency checks, and incorporate robust error handling for cryptographic failures. Additionally, developers should adopt secure coding practices that align with NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for certificate management and ensure all network communications utilize properly configured SSL/TLS implementations with certificate validation enabled. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify the effectiveness of these security controls and prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future application versions.