CVE-2014-7553 in GET NYCE Lightworks
Summary
by MITRE
The GET NYCE Lightworks (aka com.wGETNYCE) application 0.84.13506.98953 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-2014-7553 affects the GET NYCE Lightworks Android application version 0.84.13506.98953, 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 vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by encrypted communications. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security validation mechanism, where the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the necessary cryptographic verification steps that are standard in secure communication implementations.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate pinning or validation logic within the application's network security implementation. This allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged SSL certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process, which should normally validate the certificate chain against trusted root authorities, check certificate expiration dates, and verify domain name matching. Without these validations, the application establishes secure-looking connections to malicious servers that can intercept, modify, or steal sensitive data transmitted between the mobile device and web services. This weakness directly violates security best practices outlined in industry standards and represents a clear deviation from proper SSL/TLS implementation guidelines.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables comprehensive surveillance and data manipulation capabilities for attackers. Mobile applications that rely on the GET NYCE Lightworks framework for communication with backend services become vulnerable to attacks that can compromise user credentials, personal information, financial data, and other sensitive payloads. The vulnerability affects all users of the specific application version and creates a persistent risk for organizations that depend on the application for business-critical communications. Attackers can exploit this weakness to establish persistent access to corporate networks, steal session tokens, or perform credential theft operations that would otherwise be prevented by proper certificate validation. This vulnerability particularly impacts environments where mobile applications handle sensitive data and require secure communication channels to maintain data integrity and confidentiality.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar issues in the future. The primary fix involves implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms that verify certificate chains against trusted root certificates, check certificate expiration dates, and validate domain name matches. Organizations should implement certificate pinning strategies that bind specific certificates or public keys to the application, preventing the acceptance of unauthorized certificates even if they are cryptographically valid. Additionally, the application should be updated to use modern SSL/TLS protocol versions and cipher suites that provide adequate security strength. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a clear violation of ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption for data exfiltration. The fix requires comprehensive security testing including penetration testing and code review to ensure all network communication pathways properly implement certificate validation and maintain secure communication protocols throughout the application lifecycle.