Researchers at Group-IB have discovered a new NFC relay malware family, purpose-built to capture live card data via NFC and forward it in real time to attackers. They dubbed it “WindRelay.”
NFC (Near Field Communication) is wireless technology that allows devices such as smartphones, payment cards, and payment terminals to communicate when they’re very close together. So, instead of stealing your physical bank card, the attackers capture NFC activity on an infected mobile phone and relay it in real time to a criminal-controlled device held against a contactless payment terminal, or an ATM that supports contactless cash withdrawals.
The researchers describe a 13-minute call impersonating a bank, in which a victim was persuaded to install an Android app labelled with the bank’s name. That app was a remote access Trojan (RAT) called SpyNote. SpyNote gave the attacker remote control of the phone and enabled the quiet installation of a second app, WindRelay.
Read more…
Source: Malware Bytes Labs
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Criminal AI-as-a-Service in 2026: How the Underground Market Is Operationalizing Cybercrime
June 11, 2026
The underground market for criminally oriented generative AI has moved beyond the early hype surrounding ‘malicious chatbots.’ The gradual integration of AI as a productivity layer within cybercrime operations has become the dominant story, indicating that while the potential for fully autonomous AI hacking systems is possible, attackers are not embracing them as expected. Instead, ...
- Data of 2.4 million VRChat users stolen
June 11, 2026
VRChat, Inc. has filed a data breach notice revealing that the information of more than 2.4 million users was involved in a data breach. According to the notice, VRChat experienced unauthorized access to some account data between May 10 and May 12, 2026. The access happened in VRChat’s cloud environment and involved user profile and login-related data. Read more… Source: ...
- Free Spotify Premium hacks on social media are spreading infostealers
June 10, 2026
Short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have become the latest way cybercriminals spread malware. We’ve already seen attackers move away from traditional phishing emails and toward tactics that trick people into installing malware themselves. Now they’re being lured with slick social media videos that promise free Spotify Premium, free Windows activation, or free Microsoft Office, but ...
- Qilin NHS breach tally grows as Essex trust confirms stolen records
June 9, 2026
The patient tally from the Synnovis ransomware attack continues to grow two years later, with Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust confirming it was caught up in the breach. The trust told The Register that the Synnovis breach affected about 2,380 records relating to patients who underwent specialist diagnostic testing. The disclosure follows a similar announcement by Bedfordshire ...
- CISA gives US federal agencies three days to fix a VPN bug under attack by a ransomware gang
June 9, 2026
A ransomware group is actively exploiting an unpatched flaw in security tools used across the U.S. federal government, prompting the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA to order all civilian agencies to remediate the vulnerability by end of day Wednesday. Cybersecurity firm Check Point Software said the bug affects several of its remote access tools, firewalls, and VPNs, which act as ...
- WhatsApp says it caught new spyware attacks linked to NSO Group in violation of court order
June 8, 2026
WhatsApp said that it disrupted a new hacking campaign linked to NSO Group, a spyware maker that has been ensnared in countless cases of abuse all over the world. The messaging app maker accused NSO of violating an earlier court order that bars the company from targeting WhatsApp and its users with its spyware, and is seeking to ...