CVE-2014-7705 in Atkins Diet Free Shopping List
Summary
by MITRE
The Atkins Diet Free Shopping List (aka com.wAtkinsDietFreeShoppingList) application 1.1 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-2014-7705 affects the Atkins Diet Free Shopping List Android application version 1.1, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue resides within the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism, where the software fails to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to implement proper certificate chain validation, which is a fundamental security requirement for any application communicating over encrypted channels. When an Android application establishes SSL connections, it should validate the server's certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the server. The Atkins Diet application bypasses this critical step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a failure in the application's secure communication implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to completely impersonate legitimate servers and gain access to sensitive user information. Users of the application may unknowingly transmit personal data, login credentials, or other confidential information to attacker-controlled servers that appear to be the legitimate application servers. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of communications between the mobile application and its backend services, potentially exposing users to identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in mobile applications where users may be accessing sensitive personal information while connected to public networks.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel," and T1566, which addresses "Phishing for Information." The attack vector involves an adversary positioning themselves between the user and the legitimate server, intercepting communications and presenting forged certificates that the vulnerable application accepts without proper validation. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through various methods including network-based attacks on public Wi-Fi networks or compromised network infrastructure. Organizations should consider implementing certificate pinning as a compensating control, where applications explicitly trust specific certificates or certificate authorities rather than relying on the operating system's trust store.
The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of security awareness in mobile application development practices, particularly regarding secure communication protocols. Proper implementation should include certificate validation against trusted authorities, certificate chain building, and validation of certificate properties such as expiration dates, subject names, and key usage. The issue highlights the importance of following security best practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. Application developers should implement robust certificate validation mechanisms and regularly audit their applications for similar security flaws. Additionally, the vulnerability underscores the necessity of proper security testing during the development lifecycle, including penetration testing and code review processes specifically focused on cryptographic implementations.