Card Skimmers Using Bluetooth Demonstrate Security Challenges for Borderless Networks

Credit card thieves have taken their efforts to collect card information to the next level, as shown in recent reports of card skimming devices that have been uncovered in Utah and Florida. In the past, ATM machines were targeted, causing banks to increase the security around their machines, and collecting stolen card information on storage media inside the machines increased the risks that the thieves had to take to profit from their schemes. Now, as the fraud arms race escalates, the card skimming criminals have embedded Bluetooth or cell phone transmitters inside targeted machines so that the stolen information can be relayed to them without necessarily visiting each machine. We covered some practical suggestions for gas stations, but now let’s look at the details and how this could guide us in defending our borderless networks.