Prilex PoS Malware Evolves to Block Contactless Payments to Steal from NFC Cards
Feb 01, 2023
Payment Security / Risk
The Brazilian threat actors behind an advanced and modular point-of-sale (PoS) malware known as Prilex have reared their head once again with new updates that allow it to block contactless payment transactions. Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said it detected three versions of Prilex (06.03.8080, 06.03.8072, and 06.03.8070) that are capable of targeting NFC-enabled credit cards, taking its criminal scheme a notch higher. Having evolved out of ATM-focused malware into PoS malware over the years since going operational in 2014, the threat actor has steadily incorporated new features that are designed to facilitate credit card fraud, including a technique called GHOST transactions . While contactless payments have taken off in a big way, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the underlying motive behind the new functionality is to disable the feature so as to force the user to insert the card into the PIN pad. To that end, the latest version of Pril...