CVE-2014-7695 in Baoneng
Summary
by MITRE
The easaa Baoneng (aka com.easaa.baoneng) application 1.0 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 • 10/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7695 resides within the easaa Baoneng Android application version 1.0, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This weakness manifests in the application's complete absence of X.509 certificate verification during SSL/TLS connections, creating a fundamental breach in the cryptographic security framework that should protect user data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The absence of proper certificate validation creates an exploitable condition that directly violates established security practices for mobile application development and network communication security.
The technical flaw stems from the application's failure to implement proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms that would normally verify the authenticity of SSL certificates presented by servers. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a classic example of a man-in-the-middle attack vector where malicious actors can intercept communications and present forged certificates to deceive the application into establishing trust with compromised endpoints. The flaw operates at the transport layer security implementation level, where the application should be enforcing certificate chain validation, hostname verification, and certificate trust verification processes that are standard requirements for secure mobile applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to establish malicious communication channels that can facilitate data exfiltration, session hijacking, and credential theft. Mobile applications that fail to properly validate SSL certificates create opportunities for attackers to perform credential harvesting attacks, where sensitive user information including login credentials, personal data, and financial information can be captured during transmission. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data from network connections, and represents a significant threat to user privacy and application security integrity. The compromised application essentially becomes a conduit for attacker-controlled data flows, undermining the confidentiality and integrity guarantees that users expect from secure mobile applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers must implement certificate pinning techniques, enforce certificate chain validation, and ensure hostname verification is performed during SSL/TLS handshakes. The application should utilize established security libraries and frameworks that properly handle certificate validation rather than relying on default or insecure implementations. Security best practices dictate that certificate validation should include checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate authorities, and implementing proper error handling for validation failures. Additionally, the application should be updated to use modern secure communication protocols and certificate validation libraries that align with industry standards such as those recommended by NIST SP 800-52 for secure socket layer implementations. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure ongoing compliance with certificate validation requirements and to identify potential additional security weaknesses in the application's communication infrastructure.