CVE-2014-7722 in Indian Jeweller
Summary
by MITRE
The Indian Jeweller (aka com.magzter.indianjeweller) 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 • 10/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7722 affects the Indian Jeweller mobile application version 3.0 for Android operating systems, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This weakness 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 impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security model designed to protect sensitive information exchanged between mobile clients and backend services. This flaw is particularly concerning given that the application likely handles financial transactions and personal customer data, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to intercept and manipulate communications.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's improper handling of SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the Android platform's networking stack. When an application fails to verify X.509 certificates, it essentially disables the cryptographic trust verification process that ensures communications occur with legitimate servers rather than malicious intermediaries. This misconfiguration allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw falls under the category of weak certificate validation as classified by CWE-295, which specifically addresses the failure to validate certificates properly. The vulnerability is further categorized as a trust management issue within the broader context of secure communication implementation, where the application's security model is fundamentally compromised by its inability to authenticate server identities correctly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, potentially enabling comprehensive attack scenarios that can result in financial fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized access to customer accounts. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can seamlessly intercept and modify communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially altering transaction details, stealing login credentials, or redirecting users to malicious websites that mimic legitimate banking or e-commerce interfaces. The implications are particularly severe for an application handling financial transactions, as attackers could manipulate payment processing workflows, redirect funds, or extract sensitive customer information including personal identification details and financial account credentials. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1041 for data compression and T1566 for credential harvesting, demonstrating the broad attack surface this flaw exposes to threat actors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation within the application's networking components. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to properly validate X.509 certificates against trusted certificate authorities, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and ensuring that all network communications utilize proper SSL/TLS protocols with appropriate security configurations. Organizations should also implement certificate transparency monitoring and regular security audits of their mobile applications to identify similar validation weaknesses. The fix should include updating the application to use Android's built-in certificate validation mechanisms rather than relying on custom implementations that may bypass security checks. Additionally, implementing network security policies that enforce certificate validation and monitoring for suspicious certificate usage patterns can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when security controls fail in mobile banking and e-commerce applications.