CVE-2014-7585 in Biplane Forum
Summary
by MITRE
The Biplane Forum (aka com.gcspublishing.biplaneforum) application 3.7.14 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 • 10/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7585 affects the Biplane Forum Android application version 3.7.14, 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 undermines the fundamental security guarantees of encrypted communications. The flaw exists within the application's certificate verification mechanism, which is essential for establishing trust between the client and remote servers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient certificate validation, which aligns with CWE-295, specifically the weakness of not properly validating certificates. The application's SSL/TLS implementation lacks proper certificate chain validation, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that would be accepted as legitimate by the application. This occurs because the application does not perform the necessary checks to verify certificate authenticity, including checking certificate signatures, validating certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate expiration dates. The vulnerability enables an attacker positioned within the network to intercept communications between the Android application and its remote servers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with the capability to conduct effective man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the Biplane Forum application. An attacker could exploit this weakness to intercept sensitive user data, including personal information, login credentials, and potentially confidential forum communications. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the core security infrastructure of the application, making it impossible for users to trust the integrity of their communications with the server. This flaw essentially nullifies the encryption benefits that users expect from secure connections, exposing them to data theft and potential identity theft scenarios.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through phishing or interception attacks. The vulnerability creates an attack vector that allows adversaries to establish persistent access to user accounts and sensitive information within the forum environment. Security professionals should note that this issue represents a failure in the application's security architecture and demonstrates the critical importance of proper SSL/TLS implementation in mobile applications. The vulnerability also highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive user data and requiring secure communications with backend services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The recommended approach involves implementing robust certificate pinning techniques that validate certificate chains against trusted certificate authorities and potentially implementing certificate stapling to prevent certificate revocation checking issues. Additionally, the application should be updated to use modern SSL/TLS protocols with proper certificate verification routines that comply with industry standards such as those defined in RFC 5280 for X.509 certificate validation. Security updates should also include implementing certificate revocation checking mechanisms and ensuring that the application properly handles certificate expiration and validation errors. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their mobile applications to identify similar certificate validation issues and ensure that all network communications are properly secured against man-in-the-middle attacks.