{
  "id": 2438652,
  "title": "Experts warn expired credit cards can be brought back from the dead to make contactless payments",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/experts-warn-expired-credit-cards-can-be-brought-back-from-the-dead",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-21T21:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/experts-warn-expired-credit-cards-can-be-brought-back-from-the-dead-to-make-contactless-payments"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that expired credit cards can potentially be revived for contactless payments. This occurs because the expiry date read by the payment terminal is not included in the card's digital signature. To carry out the attack, an assailant must gain physical possession of the card and utilize two ordinary smartphones. The vulnerability lies in Visa cards being susceptible to this type of manipulation, whereas other major card networks such as Mastercard, Discover, and American Express reject altered expiry dates. The issue stems from the fact that the expiry date is not cryptographically bound to the card's signature, allowing a malicious device to modify it. EMV protections designed to detect such relay attacks are optional and were not enabled on any tested cards or terminals. The researchers informed Visa and the affected banks in May and December 2025, but as of now, no mitigation measures have been confirmed. The issue arises from the separation of payment decision-making among various entities, including the chip, terminal, network, and bank, all of which assume someone else will handle the expiry date verification. Experts advise that consumers should not view expired cards as harmless and should destroy the chip and cut through the card number to prevent potential abuse.",
  "summary": "That expired card in your drawer might not be nearly as dead as you think: researchers made one pay $100 for a grocery run.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}