Point of Sale credit card terminals are under threat from a new malware named PoSeidon, thought to be more dangerous than the Zeus exploit kit that was used to steal millions of card details from Target customers.
According to The Register, PoSeidon works by infecting Point of Sale terminals and scraping their memory for credit card details. The captured data is then sent off to outside servers – many of which are hosted in Russia – where they are eventually sold on.
The new malware threat was uncovered by Cisco, who warn that PoSeidon is one of a growing number of attacks targeting Point of Sale systems and demonstrates sophisticated techniques. PoSeidon contains a loader that, as Tech Radar points out, is particularly dangerous as it means infected boxes are able to survive reboots and user log-outs.
"Attackers will continue to target PoS systems and employ various obfuscation techniques in an attempt to avoid detection," explained the Cisco blog. "As long as PoS attacks continue to provide returns, attackers will continue to invest in innovation and development of new malware families.
"Network administrators will need to remain vigilant and adhere to industry best practices to ensure coverage and protection against advancing malware threats."
The news of a new dangerous malware is particularly pertinent in the wake of the recent Verizon report which found that 80 percent of global merchants failed an interim card data security test.
Point of Sale transactions are an increasingly dangerous area for consumers, but it's not the only method cybercriminals will use to get their hands on your financial details. Remember these 5 key tips to help avoid credit card fraud.
