CVE-2014-7723 in Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley
Summary
by MITRE
The Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley (aka edu.cmu.sv.mobile) application 0.1 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 • 10/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7723 affects the Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley mobile application version 0.1 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant weakness in the communication security model. The flaw exists within the mobile application's network security architecture and directly impacts the integrity of data transmission between the client and remote servers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's improper handling of SSL certificate validation mechanisms. Specifically, the application bypasses the standard certificate verification process that should occur when establishing secure connections to remote servers. This omission allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the mobile client and server by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The vulnerability essentially disables the certificate pinning mechanism that would normally protect against man-in-the-middle attacks, leaving all data transmitted through the application susceptible to interception and manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk landscape for users of the Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley application. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by positioning themselves between the mobile device and the target server, effectively eavesdropping on all communications. The implications extend beyond simple data interception to include potential credential theft, session hijacking, and the ability to inject malicious content into the application's communication streams. This vulnerability particularly impacts sensitive information exchanges that users might expect to remain confidential and secure.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. This weakness represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture and demonstrates poor implementation of transport layer security. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers network service scanning, as attackers can leverage this flaw to conduct reconnaissance and establish unauthorized communication channels. Organizations using this application face heightened risk of data breaches and privacy violations, particularly in environments where sensitive academic or research information might be transmitted.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The most effective approach involves implementing certificate pinning techniques that verify server certificates against known good certificates or public key fingerprints. Additionally, developers should ensure that the application enforces strict certificate validation procedures during SSL handshakes, rejecting any connections that fail certificate verification. Security updates should be deployed immediately to address this flaw, and organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to prevent similar issues in future application releases and maintain robust security posture against evolving threats.