Since many of us have turned to debit and credit cards for making purchases, we should be scared of a certain BrutPOS virus that CERT-In is warning everyone about. Be wary of offering your card the pleasure of being put through the swipe machine at retail outlets, because the malware in question affects such Point of sale (POS) systems.
CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) says that this troublemaker is of the Trojan/Botnet family and can nick your card number as well as your password. It can also steal the card holder’s name, account number, the card’s expiration data, CVV code and more, a fact which leaves victims open to financial losses apart from other dangers.
The BrutPOS virus mainly gets into PCs based on the Windows OS through the internet and it may also be downloaded by certain malware already present on the infected systems. It may not only purloin debit and credit card data, it can also make off with information on the concerned OS, system configuration and so on. Obviously, the logical thing for retailers with POS systems to do is to always keep the relevant software updated.
See: Most ATMs around the world are at risk as they still run Windows XP
CERT-In also recommends disabling administrative access to machines, setting a limit to the number of times login attempts can be made, dealing appropriately with shared or group accounts, says CNN-IBN Live who dug up this story through PTI. Enabling firewall at gateway or desktop level, installing anti-malware engines, visiting trusted websites only, being careful about downloading or opening attachments in mails, will be of help too.
It’s not like you can say ‘Thanks, I’ll stick to my paper money’ after this BrutPOS virus warning from CERT-In. The world is changing and it will sweep you off your feet along with it no matter what your think. But you still have many more years ahead to relish the feel of money in your hands before it all goes virtual, we suppose.