CVE-2014-7782 in Hotel
Summary
by MITRE
The Macedonia Hacienda Hotel (aka appinventor.ai_orolimpio999.HotelMacedonia) application 1.0 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 • 10/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7782 represents a critical security flaw in the Macedonia Hacienda Hotel Android application version 1.0, specifically targeting 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 integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability affects the application's cryptographic security implementation, which is fundamental to maintaining secure data transmission between mobile clients and remote servers.
This technical weakness falls under the category of improper certificate validation, a common vulnerability pattern that directly relates to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation." The application's failure to verify SSL server certificates means that it accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper authentication, making it susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can establish fraudulent connections and intercept sensitive information. The vulnerability demonstrates a complete lack of certificate pinning or proper trust chain validation mechanisms within the mobile application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the application and exposes users to various attack vectors. An attacker positioned between the mobile device and the server can present a fraudulent certificate that appears legitimate to the application, allowing them to decrypt and manipulate communications between the user and the hotel's backend systems. This could result in the theft of personal information, payment details, reservation data, or other sensitive user credentials that the application processes during normal operation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for hospitality applications that handle financial transactions and personal guest information, as it creates an environment where attackers can systematically compromise user privacy and data integrity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network security framework. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning techniques that validate server certificates against a known set of trusted certificates or public keys, preventing the acceptance of fraudulent certificates. Additionally, the application should enforce strict certificate chain validation procedures that verify certificate signatures, expiration dates, and proper certificate authority relationships. Security measures should also include implementing proper SSL/TLS configuration settings that disable weak cryptographic protocols and cipher suites, while maintaining compliance with industry standards such as those outlined in the NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for certificate management. The remediation process should also incorporate regular security testing and code reviews to ensure that similar certificate validation issues do not persist in future application versions or related software components.