CVE-2014-7628 in Acorn Comms
Summary
by MITRE
The Acorn Comms (aka com.acorncomms.app) application 3.0 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 • 10/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7628 represents a critical security flaw in the Acorn Comms Android application version 3.0, specifically targeting the application's handling of SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanisms. This weakness falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is a fundamental security control that ensures the authenticity and integrity of communications between client and server components. The application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted through the application.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's implementation of SSL/TLS connections where it bypasses the standard certificate verification process that should occur during the SSL handshake. This allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The vulnerability stems from the application's lack of proper certificate pinning or validation routines that would normally check certificate authorities, certificate expiration dates, and certificate signatures against trusted roots. Without these verification steps, the application accepts any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to intercept and manipulate communications between the Android application and backend servers. An attacker positioned between the user and the server can present a malicious certificate that the application accepts without question, allowing them to decrypt, modify, or redirect sensitive data flows. This compromise affects all data transmitted through the application including user credentials, personal information, financial data, and any other sensitive content that might be exchanged between the mobile client and remote services. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates transparently to end users who would have no indication that their communications are being intercepted or modified.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in SSL/TLS implementations, and represents a clear violation of the principle of secure communication practices. The attack vector is consistent with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1041 technique for data compression and T1566 for credential access through phishing, as the compromised application can be used to harvest sensitive information from users. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, proper certificate validation routines, and regular security assessments of mobile applications. The fix requires the application to implement robust certificate verification mechanisms that check certificate chains against trusted Certificate Authorities, validate certificate expiration dates, and ensure proper certificate signatures before establishing secure connections. Additionally, implementing certificate pinning strategies would provide an extra layer of protection by requiring the application to accept only specific certificates or public keys from servers, thereby preventing attackers from using forged certificates even if they can impersonate the server.