CVE-2025-56146 identifies a vulnerability in the Indian Bank IndSMART Android App version 3.8.1, specifically within the NuWebViewActivity component. The root cause is the absence of SSL certificate validation, categorized under CWE-599 (Missing Certificate Validation). This flaw allows an attacker positioned on the same network or capable of intercepting traffic to perform man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks by presenting fraudulent SSL certificates without detection by the app. Because the app fails to verify the authenticity of SSL certificates, encrypted communications can be decrypted or altered, leading to potential exposure of sensitive banking information. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting that it is remotely exploitable (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact is limited to confidentiality loss (C:L), with no impact on integrity (I:N) or availability (A:N). No patches or known exploits are currently available, but the vulnerability remains a concern for users of the affected app version. The lack of SSL validation is a critical security oversight in financial applications, as it undermines the trust model of secure communications and exposes users to data interception risks.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential compromise of confidentiality of sensitive banking data transmitted via the Indian Bank IndSMART app. Although the app is targeted at Indian Bank customers, European entities with employees or customers using this app, or those engaged in financial transactions with Indian Bank, could be indirectly affected. The exposure could lead to leakage of personal identifiable information (PII), banking credentials, or transaction details if an attacker successfully executes a MitM attack on unsecured networks such as public Wi-Fi. This could facilitate fraud, identity theft, or unauthorized access to banking services. However, since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the risk of data tampering or service disruption is low. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often weaponize such vulnerabilities once disclosed. The medium severity rating suggests that while the threat is not critical, it warrants timely remediation to protect user data and maintain trust in banking applications.

To mitigate this vulnerability, Indian Bank should urgently update the IndSMART app to enforce strict SSL certificate validation within the NuWebViewActivity component, ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections verify certificates against trusted certificate authorities and reject invalid or self-signed certificates. Organizations and users should avoid using the app on untrusted or public networks until a patch is available. Employing VPNs can add an additional layer of encryption to protect data in transit. Network monitoring tools should be configured to detect unusual SSL/TLS traffic patterns indicative of MitM attempts. Security teams should educate users about the risks of connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi and encourage the use of mobile data or trusted networks when accessing banking apps. Additionally, implementing certificate pinning in the app can further reduce the risk of MitM attacks by binding the app to specific certificates or public keys. Finally, organizations should maintain up-to-date mobile device management (MDM) policies to enforce app updates and security configurations.