Magnetic Strips of Credit Cards Can Be Hacked

RFID security guru releases a test program that can read chip and PIN credit cards using the EMV standard.

WASHINGTON – Personally identifiable information baked into the magnetic strip on your credit card can be easily hijacked by hackers using lightweight tools, according to a warning from RFID security guru Adam Laurie.

At the Black Hat DC briefings here, Laurie announced the release of CHaP.py, a test program created to read chip and PIN credit cards using the EMV standard. EMV, named for the three companies that developed the standard – Europay, MasterCard and VISA – handles authentication of credit and debit card payments.

Laurie, who works as chief security officer and director of U.K.-based The Bunker Secure Hosting Ltd., plans to integrate CHaP.py into the RFIDIOt, the popular open-source python library for exploring RFID devices.

Read the full article at eWEEK.