CVE-2014-7642 in Pegasus Airlines
Summary
by MITRE
The Pegasus Airlines (aka com.wPegasusAirlines) application 0.84.13503.96707 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.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7642 affects the Pegasus Airlines Android application version 0.84.13503.96707, 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 adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification mechanism that should ensure the authenticity of SSL servers, thereby undermining the fundamental security assurances provided by Transport Layer Security protocols.
From a technical perspective, the flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate chain validation within the application's SSL implementation. When the application establishes connections to remote servers, it fails to perform the essential steps required to verify certificate authenticity including checking certificate signatures, validating certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate expiration dates. This represents a direct violation of standard security practices and aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation. The vulnerability creates a condition where any attacker capable of intercepting network traffic can present a fraudulent certificate that the application will accept without question, effectively disabling the security protections that SSL/TLS is designed to provide.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, creating multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged by malicious actors in man-in-the-middle scenarios. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, access sensitive personal information, and potentially manipulate transaction data within the application. The implications are particularly severe given that the application handles airline booking and potentially financial transactions, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit user trust and sensitive data. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which involves phishing attacks through manipulated certificate validation, and T1041, which covers data compression and encryption.
Security professionals should recognize this as a critical flaw requiring immediate remediation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the application. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple network sessions means that once exploited, attackers can maintain access to user data for extended periods without detection. Organizations should implement comprehensive certificate pinning mechanisms, establish robust certificate validation routines, and consider deploying network monitoring tools to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all SSL/TLS implementation components, integration of proper certificate validation libraries, and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues in future application versions. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of following industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and RFC 5280 for X.509 certificate validation procedures.