CVE-2014-7745 in Flight Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The Flight Manager (aka com.flightmanager.view) application 4.0 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 • 10/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7745 affects the Flight Manager application version 4.0 for Android operating systems, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors 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 mechanisms designed to protect sensitive information transmitted over network connections.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's cryptographic implementation where it bypasses the standard certificate verification process that should occur during SSL handshake procedures. When an Android application establishes a secure connection to a server, the operating system typically validates the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority hierarchy to ensure the connection's authenticity. However, the Flight Manager application fails to perform this crucial validation step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is classified as CWE-295 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability represents a direct violation of secure communication protocols and demonstrates poor implementation of transport layer security mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise user privacy and sensitive information. Attackers can exploit this weakness to impersonate legitimate servers and establish fraudulent connections with users' devices, potentially gaining access to personal data, flight information, travel itineraries, and other sensitive details that users expect to be protected. The implications are particularly severe for applications handling personal travel information, as the compromised data could be used for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002, which describes the exploitation of weak or unverified SSL/TLS certificates to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it operates at the network level, making it difficult for users to detect the compromise and potentially allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to sensitive information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate security gap and prevent similar issues in future implementations. Application developers should implement proper certificate pinning mechanisms that validate server certificates against known good values rather than relying solely on the operating system's certificate store. The application should enforce strict certificate validation procedures that verify certificate chains, expiration dates, and issuer authenticity before establishing secure connections. Additionally, developers should consider implementing certificate transparency checks and regular security audits to identify potential weaknesses in cryptographic implementations. Organizations should also establish secure coding practices that prioritize security controls during the development lifecycle, ensuring that all network communications properly validate SSL/TLS certificates. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of following established security standards and guidelines for mobile application development, particularly those related to secure communication protocols and certificate management.