CVE-2017-14582 in Site24x7 Mobile Network Poller
Summary
by MITRE
The Zoho Site24x7 Mobile Network Poller application before 1.1.5 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 self-signed certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14582 affects the Zoho Site24x7 Mobile Network Poller application version 1.1.4 and earlier on Android platforms. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's certificate validation mechanism that fundamentally compromises the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and remote servers. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating an exploitable weakness that violates fundamental security principles of secure communication protocols.
This vulnerability constitutes a classic man-in-the-middle attack vector where malicious actors can intercept communications between the mobile application and target servers. The flaw specifically manifests when the application encounters self-signed certificates, which are commonly used in internal network environments or for testing purposes. Without proper certificate verification, the application accepts any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness. This behavior directly violates the security model of public key infrastructure and creates a pathway for attackers to establish fraudulent connections that appear legitimate to the end-user application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass complete compromise of the application's security posture. Attackers can leverage this weakness to intercept and manipulate sensitive data transmitted through the application, potentially gaining access to network monitoring information, system credentials, or other confidential data that the Site24x7 poller is designed to collect and report. This risk is particularly severe given that the application is designed for network monitoring and security assessment purposes, making it a prime target for adversaries seeking to compromise network visibility and security controls. The vulnerability affects the core security functionality of the application, undermining its ability to provide reliable network monitoring services.
The technical implementation flaw aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a failure to properly implement certificate pinning or validation mechanisms. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1566 Phishing, as attackers can exploit the weak certificate validation to establish fraudulent network connections or deliver malicious payloads through spoofed communications. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental design flaw in the application's security architecture that required a specific patch release to address. Organizations using this application should immediately implement remediation measures including updating to version 1.1.5 or later, implementing network-level monitoring to detect suspicious certificate behavior, and reviewing their certificate management policies to ensure proper validation of SSL/TLS connections. The issue demonstrates the critical importance of proper certificate validation in mobile security applications and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of cryptographic implementations in enterprise mobile solutions.