The virus has been active since November 2023 and has already been implicated in a number of incidents including credit card leaks and illegal NFC cash withdrawals.
NGate is distributed through phishing SMS messages and fake security updates that appear to be official bank apps.
The virus uses the open-source NFCGate component developed to test and experiment with NFC, which allows attackers to capture data on cards and send it to their devices.
Attackers can create virtual cards using the obtained data and then make transactions at ATMs or points of sale that support contactless payment.
To protect against such attacks, it is recommended that you disable NFC when you are not using your device and carefully check the permissions of the applications installed on your phone.
Source: Ferra
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