CVE-2014-7573 in droid Survey Offline Forms
Summary
by MITRE
The droid Survey Offline Forms (aka com.contact.droidSURVEY) application 2.5.2 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 • 10/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7573 affects the droid Survey Offline Forms Android application version 2.5.2, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security of data transmission between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate verification mechanisms within the application's SSL implementation. When the application attempts to establish secure connections with servers, it fails to validate the presented X.509 certificates against trusted certificate authorities or perform proper certificate chain validation. This weakness enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and represents a classic example of insufficient cryptographic validation that violates fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information transmitted through the application. Mobile applications that rely on secure communication channels for data submission, user authentication, or configuration updates become particularly vulnerable when they fail to verify server certificates. Attackers can exploit this weakness to capture and manipulate data flows, potentially accessing user information, survey responses, or other confidential data that the application is designed to protect. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where sensitive survey data or personal information might be collected and transmitted over potentially untrusted networks.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to the ATT&CK framework's command and control techniques, specifically those involving credential access and data exfiltration. The lack of certificate verification creates an attack vector that aligns with techniques such as SSL/TLS decryption and man-in-the-middle attacks. Organizations using this application should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, updating to versions with proper certificate validation, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities. Additionally, this vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices outlined in standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and the OWASP Mobile Security Project's recommendations for secure mobile application development. The incident underscores the critical need for mobile application developers to implement robust cryptographic practices and proper certificate validation mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising user data and system integrity.