Researchers from the University of Surrey have claimed that contactless payment data can be gathered without drawing suspicion from as far as half a metre of a payment terminal.
The reasearch team said they used inexpensive and easily concealable equipment including a shopping trolley, a backpack and a pocket-sized cylindrical antenna to intercept synthesised payments card data.
Go deeper with GlobalData
In an article published by the Institution of Engineering & Technology’s Journal of Engineering, the researchers said they "successfully received contactless transmission from distances of 45-80cm using inconspicuous equipment."
The banking industry has always claimed the data on cards could only be read within 5cm distances.
Johann Briffa, lead academic supervisor, said, "The results we found have an impact on how much we can rely on physical proximity as a ‘security feature’ of NFC devices. Designers of applications using NFC need to consider privacy because the intended short range of the channel is no defence against a determined eavesdropper."
Reacting to the research report findings, the UK Cards Association said that fraudsters would not be able to harvest enough details to be dangerous.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
