New Android malware lets criminals use your bank card in real time


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:

  • Vevo Music Video Service Hacked — 3.12TB of Internal Data Leaked

    September 15, 2017

    OurMine is in headlines once again—this time for breaching the popular video streaming service Vevo. After hunting down social media accounts of HBO and defacing WikiLeaks website, the infamous self-proclaimed group of white hat hackers OurMine have hacked Vevo and leaked about 3.12 TB worth of internal files. Vevo is a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Abu ...

  • Equifax hack: Britons among 143 million people to have their details compromised

    September 8, 2017

    Credit agency Equifax has admitted that data from 143 million customers may have been compromised in a security breach earlier this year. US, UK and Canadian residents are among those to have their details accessed through a website application vulnerability. The attack was discovered to have run from mid-May until 29 July, but the US company has ...

  • Dragonfly 2.0: Hacking Group Infiltrated European and US Power Facilities

    September 7, 2017

    The notorious hacking group that has been in operation since at least 2011 has re-emerged and is still interested in targeting the United States and European companies in the energy sector. Yes, I am talking about the ‘Dragonfly,’ a well-resourced, Eastern European hacking group responsible for sophisticated cyber-espionage campaigns against the critical infrastructure of energy companies in different ...

  • Hackers Can Silently Control Siri, Alexa & Other Voice Assistants Using Ultrasound

    September 6, 2017

    What if your smartphone starts making calls, sending text messages, and browsing malicious websites on the Internet itself without even asking you? This is no imaginations, as hackers can make this possible using your smartphone’s personal assistant like Siri or Google Now. A team of security researchers from China’s Zhejiang University have discovered a clever way of ...

  • Backdoor Found in Popular Server Management Software used by Hundreds of Companies

    August 15, 2017

    Cyber criminals are becoming more adept, innovative, and stealthy with each passing day. They are now adopting more clandestine techniques that come with limitless attack vectors and are harder to detect. Recently, cyber crooks managed to infiltrate the update mechanism for a popular server management software package and altered it to include an advanced backdoor, which ...

  • WannaCrypt victims paid out over $140k in Bitcoin to get files unscrambled

    August 3, 2017

    More than $140,000 (£105,000) in Bitcoin has been paid out by victims of the global WannaCrypt ransomware outbreak from May. The money was removed from the online wallets at 4am UTC on Thursday. The Bitcoin activity was noticed by a Twitter bot set up by Quartzjournalist Keith Collins. The attack swept across at least 74 countries, and the UK’s ...