CVE-2014-7694 in Corvette Museum
Summary
by MITRE
The Corvette Museum (aka com.app_corvettemuseum.layout) application 1.399 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 • 10/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7694 affects the Corvette Museum Android application version 1.399, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue resides within the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism, specifically failing to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by remote servers during secure connections. The flaw creates a significant security risk that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between the mobile application and its backend services, potentially exposing users to sophisticated cyber threats.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper certificate pinning or validation procedures that are essential for establishing trust in secure communications. When an Android application establishes an SSL connection to a remote server, it should validate the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the connection is secure and the server is authentic. The Corvette Museum application bypasses this critical step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks where they can intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and the server.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for both end users and the application developers. Users may unknowingly transmit personal information, login credentials, or other sensitive data through connections that are compromised by malicious actors. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges or advanced technical skills to exploit, making it accessible to threat actors with basic networking knowledge. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to potential service disruption, reputation damage, and regulatory compliance issues that could result in significant financial and legal consequences for the organization responsible for the application.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices recommended by industry standards and frameworks. According to ATT&CK framework, this weakness maps to T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1566 Impersonation, as attackers can leverage the insecure certificate validation to impersonate legitimate services and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including immediate certificate validation enforcement, proper SSL/TLS implementation, and regular security assessments to prevent exploitation of such vulnerabilities. The recommended remediation involves updating the application to properly validate SSL certificates against trusted certificate authorities and implementing certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent the use of fraudulent certificates in establishing secure connections.