CVE-2014-7781 in Marijuana Handbook Lite - Weed
Summary
by MITRE
The Marijuana Handbook Lite - Weed (aka com.fallacystudios.marijuanahandbooklite) application 3.2 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 • 10/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7781 resides within the Marijuana Handbook Lite - Weed Android application version 3.2, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate validation mechanism. This weakness fundamentally undermines the application's ability to establish secure communications with remote servers, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors. The issue manifests when the application fails to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure connections, leaving users exposed to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise sensitive data transmission.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications. The application implements an insecure SSL/TLS implementation that accepts any certificate without proper verification of the certificate authority, domain name matching, or certificate chain validation. This flaw enables attackers to create malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application, allowing them to intercept and potentially modify data transmitted between the mobile device and remote servers. The vulnerability essentially disables the cryptographic security measures that are fundamental to establishing trust in network communications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risks to user privacy and data integrity, particularly since the application likely handles sensitive personal information or proprietary content related to marijuana usage guidelines and resources. Attackers exploiting this weakness could gain access to user credentials, personal information, or other confidential data that the application may be transmitting to backend servers. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as the compromised communication channel could enable attackers to inject malicious content or redirect users to fraudulent websites that mimic legitimate services.
The attack vector for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which involves data from network connections, where adversaries can intercept and manipulate network traffic. The vulnerability also relates to T1566, which covers the initial access through spearphishing or other social engineering methods that could be used to deliver malicious certificates. Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader security posture assessment, particularly for applications handling sensitive information on mobile platforms. The lack of proper certificate validation creates a persistent risk that remains active as long as the vulnerable application version is installed on user devices, making it essential for developers to implement proper SSL certificate verification mechanisms and for users to ensure they are running updated versions of applications.
Recommended mitigations include implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms, ensuring all SSL/TLS connections validate certificate chains through trusted certificate authorities, and conducting regular security assessments of mobile application communications. The application should be updated to include robust certificate validation that checks certificate expiration dates, verifies certificate authority signatures, and ensures domain name matching between the certificate and the server being accessed. Additionally, developers should implement certificate transparency checks and consider using secure communication libraries that enforce proper SSL/TLS validation by default rather than relying on insecure default configurations that leave applications vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.