CVE-2014-6843

Vulnerability

The Sweatshop (com.orderingapps.sweatshop) application version 2.96 for Android fails to properly validate X.509 certificates from SSL servers. This means the app does not verify that the certificate presented by an HTTPS server is issued by a trusted certificate authority, as required for secure communication [1]. The app is listed among multiple Android applications that fail dynamic SSL validation testing [2].

Exploitation

An attacker positioned on the same network as the Android device (e.g., on a public Wi-Fi) can perform a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. By presenting a crafted certificate, the attacker can intercept the HTTPS connection between the app and its server. No special privileges or user interaction beyond connecting to the network is required; the app will accept the fraudulent certificate without warning.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to view or modify network traffic that should have been protected by HTTPS. This can lead to disclosure of sensitive information (e.g., login credentials, personal data) and potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the app's functionality [1]. The attacker gains the ability to spoof the legitimate server and obtain any data transmitted by the app.

Mitigation

No official patch has been released for the Sweatshop app version 2.96. The CERT/CC recommends not using affected applications and instead accessing the service via a web browser, which typically implements proper SSL validation [1]. Users should uninstall the app and avoid using it until a fixed version is provided. The app may be obsolete or no longer maintained.