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Category: Celll Phones and Mobile devices

Banks to adopt ATMs that utilize smartphones for Authentication.

 

NFC or Near Field Communication is expected to hit ATMs very soon in the attempt to cut down on Skimmers and other devices that lift your Credit Card data.

Wait, NFC ?  Wasn't this proven to be the ultimate tool a few years ago in skimming at DEFCON?

There were rooms set up where the doorways where wired as antennas to capture RF and NFC information from any Credit Card and NFC device that was on your person. As easy and quickly as walking through a doorway.  The victim was totally unaware that this was occurring.  This was set up as a demo of how RF and NFC can be used against you.

At DEFCON this past year (2016, DC 24) there was a demo of a new found device already hitting mainstream ATMs.  This was a small device that was placed inside an ATM Credit Card reader that lifted the information right off of the new Credit Card Chips.  The device was found to lift the information and transmit to a nearby listener who was there to gather information.  The lifted information from the Chip was then placed onto a blank chip on a blank card and reused for purchases, etc.

The Lifting device was found to have serial numbers on it indicating that these are being manufactured in a professional way.  This raises the bar again at what people knew about skimmers. They thought it was rouge people creating them.  Apparently not.

Now back to NCF. If NFC is one of the ultimate ways to lift information, then hasn't anyone been following this Security Vulnerability closely?  Will this aid the professional skimmers or deter them?

The link to the SC Magazine article is here:   Click here