New Android Malware NGate Steals NFC Data to Clone Contactless Payment Cards
Aug 26, 2024
Financial Fraud / Mobile Security
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered new Android malware that can relay victims' contactless payment data from physical credit and debit cards to an attacker-controlled device with the goal of conducting fraudulent operations. The Slovak cybersecurity company is tracking the novel malware as NGate, stating it observed the crimeware campaign targeting three banks in Czechia. The malware "has the unique ability to relay data from victims' payment cards, via a malicious app installed on their Android devices, to the attacker's rooted Android phone," researchers Lukáš Štefanko and Jakub Osmani said in an analysis. The activity is part of a broader campaign that has been found to target financial institutions in Czechia since November 2023 using malicious progressive web apps (PWAs) and WebAPKs. The first recorded use of NGate was in March 2024. The end goal of the attacks is to clone near-field communication (NFC) data from victims' physical payment ca...
