All news with #payment card tag
Thu, October 30, 2025
Surge in NFC Relay Malware Targeting European Cards
📱Zimperium reports a sharp rise in Android apps abusing Host Card Emulation (HCE) to steal contactless payment card data across Eastern Europe. Researchers observed over 760 malicious APKs and 70+ command-and-control servers that capture EMV fields, respond to POS APDU commands, or forward requests to remote servers. Variants include data exfiltration to Telegram, relay toolkits, 'ghost-tap' real-time HCE manipulation, and fake payment apps impersonating Google Pay and regional banks. Users are advised to avoid sideloading APKs, restrict NFC permissions, run Play Protect, and disable NFC when not in use.