CVE-2017-9819
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the BHIM Android app allows attackers to bypass authentication by exploiting improper restrictions on the OTP feature. Users of BHIM version 1.3 for Android are affected, potentially enabling unauthorized access to payment accounts.
💻 Affected Systems
- National Payments Corporation of India BHIM application
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete account takeover enabling unauthorized financial transactions, data theft, and identity fraud.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to payment accounts leading to fraudulent transactions and financial loss.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper authentication controls and transaction monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details are publicly available in the referenced GitHub repository.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 1.3
Vendor Advisory: Not publicly documented
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Google Play Store 2. Search for BHIM app 3. Update to latest version 4. Restart application
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable OTP feature
androidTemporarily disable OTP authentication until patch is applied
Use alternative authentication
androidEnable biometric or PIN authentication instead of OTP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Uninstall BHIM 1.3 and use alternative payment applications
- Monitor account activity closely for unauthorized transactions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check app version in Android settings > Apps > BHIM > App infoCheck Version:
adb shell dumpsys package com.upi.bhim | grep versionNameVerify Fix Applied:
Verify app version is greater than 1.3 and test OTP authentication📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed OTP attempts
- OTP bypass attempts
- Unusual transaction patterns
Network Indicators:
- Unusual API calls to authentication endpoints
- Suspicious OTP request patterns
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" app="BHIM" (event="authentication_failure" OR event="otp_bypass")