CVE-2014-8918 in Security AppScan
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security AppScan Standard 8.x and 9.x before 9.0.1.1 FP1 does not properly 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 • 06/20/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8918 affects IBM Security AppScan Standard versions 8.x and 9.x prior to 9.0.1.1 FP1, representing a critical flaw in the SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This weakness stems from insufficient X.509 certificate verification processes that fail to properly validate the authenticity and integrity of server certificates presented during SSL connections. The vulnerability creates a significant security gap that allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable scanning tool.
The technical flaw manifests in the certificate validation logic where AppScan Standard does not adequately check certificate chains, trust anchors, or cryptographic signatures that should confirm a certificate's legitimacy. This improper verification allows attackers to generate or obtain certificates that pass the tool's validation checks despite being unauthorized or malicious. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where SSL/TLS connections are established, specifically targeting the certificate trust verification process that should ensure secure communication channels. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-295 which deals with improper certificate validation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1557.001 for "Adversary-in-the-Middle" attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it undermines the fundamental security assurance that AppScan Standard is designed to provide. Organizations using vulnerable versions of the tool may receive false security assessments, as the scanner could be deceived into trusting malicious certificates and subsequently report false positives or fail to detect actual security issues. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept communications, steal sensitive data, or manipulate scan results to hide malicious activities. The vulnerability particularly affects security teams who rely on AppScan Standard for vulnerability assessments, potentially creating a false sense of security while actual vulnerabilities remain undetected. This weakness can be exploited by attackers with network access to the scanning environment, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise networks where security tools are deployed.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8918 require immediate patching of IBM Security AppScan Standard to version 9.0.1.1 FP1 or later, which addresses the certificate validation flaw through enhanced verification mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for unauthorized certificate changes and establish network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. Security teams must verify that all SSL/TLS connections within their environment properly validate certificate chains and implement certificate pinning where appropriate. The fix addresses the underlying validation logic to ensure proper certificate chain building, trust anchor verification, and cryptographic signature validation. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their scanning infrastructure to identify any other potential certificate validation weaknesses and implement comprehensive security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.