Airtel Mobile App Hit with Security Flaw, Issue Fixed

Airtel, the country's third-largest mobile network has confirmed about a security bug in its mobile app. However, after it was brought to its notice, Airtel has fixed the flaw. Ehraz Ahmed, an independent security researcher, discovered the vulnerability in the app of Airtel. Ahmed found a security hole in the Application Program Interface (API) of Airtel's mobile app in just 15 minutes.

Confirming the security glitch, an Airtel spokesperson said, "There was a technical issue in one of our testing APIs, which was addressed as soon as it was brought to our notice. Airtel's digital platforms are highly secure. Customer privacy is of paramount importance to us, and we deploy the best of solutions to ensure the security of our digital platforms."

A case study also has been published by Ahmed and a proof of concept video of the flaw online.

"The flaw exists in one of their API that allows you to fetch sensitive user information of any Airtel subscriber," claims Ahmed in the case study. This information, according to him, includes details like first and last name; gender; email; date of birth; address; subscription information, device capability information for 4G, 3G & GPRS; Network Information; activation date, user type [Prepaid/Postpaid]; and current IMEI number.

The vulnerability has put the information of over 325.5 million Airtel subscribers in India at risk. However, the security flaw has not risked financial details of Airtel subscribers.