Transport Layer Security (TLS) provides secure communication between systems over the internet by encrypting the data sent between them. The role
of certificate validation in this process is to ensure that a system is indeed the one it claims to be, adding an extra layer of trust and
security.
When certificate validation is disabled, the client skips this critical check. This creates an opportunity for attackers to pose as a trusted
entity and intercept, manipulate, or steal the data being transmitted.
What is the potential impact?
Establishing trust in a secure way is a non-trivial task. When you disable certificate validation, you are removing a key mechanism designed to
build this trust in internet communication, opening your system up to a number of potential threats.
Identity spoofing
If a system does not validate certificates, it cannot confirm the identity of the other party involved in the communication. An attacker can
exploit this by creating a fake server and masquerading it as a legitimate one. For example, they might set up a server that looks like your bank’s
server, tricking your system into thinking it is communicating with the bank. This scenario, called identity spoofing, allows the attacker to collect
any data your system sends to them, potentially leading to significant data breaches.
Loss of data integrity
When TLS certificate validation is disabled, the integrity of the data you send and receive cannot be guaranteed. An attacker could modify the data
in transit, and you would have no way of knowing. This could range from subtle manipulations of the data you receive to the injection of malicious
code or malware into your system. The consequences of such breaches of data integrity can be severe, depending on the nature of the data and the
system.
