CVE-2014-7795 in Harpers Bazaar Art
Summary
by MITRE
The Harpers Bazaar Art (aka com.itp.harpersart) application @7F080181 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 • 10/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7795 affects the Harpers Bazaar Art mobile application for android systems, specifically targeting the application's handling of secure communication protocols. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the application's implementation of Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate validation mechanisms. The issue manifests when the application fails to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality.
This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 for data obfuscation through man-in-the-middle attacks. The application's failure to validate server certificates means it accepts any certificate presented without proper authentication, including those that are forged or self-signed. This weakness enables attackers to establish fraudulent secure connections with the application, effectively bypassing the intended security protections that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the Harpers Bazaar Art application. Attackers can intercept and modify communications between the application and its servers, potentially gaining access to sensitive user information, personal data, or financial details that are transmitted through the insecure connection. The vulnerability particularly affects users who may be accessing the application over unsecured networks such as public wifi hotspots, where such attacks are more prevalent and easier to execute.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's secure communication stack. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to perform thorough X.509 certificate validation including checking certificate chains, verifying certificate authorities, and ensuring proper hostname validation. Security best practices dictate that applications should implement certificate pinning techniques where specific certificate fingerprints or public keys are hardcoded within the application to prevent acceptance of fraudulent certificates. Additionally, developers should ensure that the application uses up-to-date TLS protocol versions and cipher suites that meet current security standards to prevent exploitation through protocol downgrade attacks or weak cryptographic implementations.