Over 600,000 payment cards’ info stolen

Over 99% of stolen data include names, computer files, amongst others.

Over 600,000 payment cards have been compromised due to malware, according to a new study by digital cybersecurity company NordVPN.

As many as 99% of the stolen cards included additional data, such as the victim’s name, computer files, and saved credentials, according to a study by NordStellar, a threat exposure management platform from the creators of NordVPN. The study took place in April 2024.

Visa cards were the most targeted, with 54% of the 600,000 cards being from Visa. A third (33%) were Mastercard cards, according to NordVPN.

The research also revealed that six out of 10 payment cards (60%) were stolen using sophisticated stealer, Redline.

The stolen cards’ info did not just involve payment card details but also information and account credentials. This additional information opens doors to identity theft, online blackmail, and cyber extortion, warned NordVPN cybersecurity advisor Adrianus Warmenhoven.

Malware-as-a-service is available to buy for as little as $100 to $150 per month from specialized dark web marketplaces, NordVPN further warned. 

“Malware is often used as a ‘weapon of mass infection’ because the results are reproducible at scale, even for relatively unskilled people,” noted Warmenhoven.

Payment card theft is particularly rampant in the U.S., with most stolen payment card details coming from American users. 

Payment card theft also severely impacts users in several other countries, such as Brazil, India, Mexico, and Argentina, according to NordVPN.