💳 An expired Visa card might not be as “dead” as it seems.
Researchers at UMass Amherst have shown that certain contactless Visa cards can be made to process a payment even after the expiration date has passed.
The issue isn’t broken cryptography. During a relay attack between the card and the terminal, you can change the expiration date that the POS sees. It isn’t cryptographically protected properly, and the bank doesn’t always recheck it during authorization.
The researchers carried out successful demonstrations on real terminals. But that doesn’t mean any expired card will automatically work: the outcome depends on the specific card, the bank, and the payment system settings.
So an old card isn’t junk. It’s better to physically destroy it, and after replacement or closing the account, check transactions for a little while.
I always thought the scariest thing about an old bank card is that it takes up space in a drawer. Turns out the drawer was just waiting for its cyberattack.
If you want to explore these tech details without panic and horror stories—follow @MoonMan567
Researchers at UMass Amherst have shown that certain contactless Visa cards can be made to process a payment even after the expiration date has passed.
The issue isn’t broken cryptography. During a relay attack between the card and the terminal, you can change the expiration date that the POS sees. It isn’t cryptographically protected properly, and the bank doesn’t always recheck it during authorization.
The researchers carried out successful demonstrations on real terminals. But that doesn’t mean any expired card will automatically work: the outcome depends on the specific card, the bank, and the payment system settings.
So an old card isn’t junk. It’s better to physically destroy it, and after replacement or closing the account, check transactions for a little while.
I always thought the scariest thing about an old bank card is that it takes up space in a drawer. Turns out the drawer was just waiting for its cyberattack.
If you want to explore these tech details without panic and horror stories—follow @MoonMan567
