CVE-2014-5731
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Word Search (aka com.virtuesoft.wordsearch) application 2.3.0 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.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Word Search Android app version 2.3.0 fails to validate X.509 certificates when establishing SSL/TLS connections with servers. This allows an attacker positioned on the same network to intercept and modify traffic between the app and backend servers by presenting a fraudulent certificate, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks and theft of sensitive data.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.3.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:A/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Word Search app versionOn the Android device, go to Settings > Apps > Word Search and note the version number displayed, or use a package manager to query the installed package versionAffected if The installed version is exactly 2.3.0 of Jiuzhangtech Word Search
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Verify network traffic handlingUse a network proxy tool (such as Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP) configured with an untrusted SSL certificate. Attempt to intercept traffic while the app communicates with its backend serversAffected if The app successfully establishes SSL/TLS connections and transmits data without rejecting the untrusted certificate, indicating disabled or broken certificate validation
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Examine app SSL implementationPerform static analysis on the app APK file. Decompile the APK and inspect the source code for SSL/TLS connection handling, specifically looking for implementations that bypass certificate validation or use empty TrustManager implementationsAffected if The code contains custom TrustManager implementations that accept all certificates, or lacks proper X.509 certificate validation logic in network communication classes
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Test with invalid certificateConfigure a man-in-the-middle scenario using a self-signed certificate. Attempt to intercept and modify traffic between the app and its backend serverAffected if The app accepts the invalid certificate and allows traffic interception without any certificate validation errors or connection failures
A user is affected if they have Jiuzhangtech Word Search version 2.3.0 installed and the app transmits data over SSL/TLS without properly validating server certificates, allowing traffic interception by attackers on the same network.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement proper SSL certificate validation in the app by using a properly configured SSLContext with trusted CA certificates, or implement certificate pinning for known server certificates. The app should reject connections with invalid or untrusted certificates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-5731 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-5731 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data