Home UK cyber security experts stopped criminals using over 1 million stolen credit cards
News

UK cyber security experts stopped criminals using over 1 million stolen credit cards

Roger Baird

Britain’s security service said it blocked more than a million cases of credit card fraud last year.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a division of spy agency GCHQ, said its operation Haulster stopped debit and credit cards being abused by criminals.

The NCSC said it intercepted criminal groups using illegal marketplaces in cyberspace to buy and sell personal information and card details.

It said its Haulster team gathered stolen credit cards and repatriated them to banks, often before they are ever used for crime. Card issuers are then able to block cards to protect both financial institutions and the public.

 

Tracking fraud

The NCSC said criminals have been exploiting Magento, an open source ecommerce shopping platform used by many retail websites. Hackers write malicious JavaScript code, which copied credit card transactions and send the results to domains they control.

But the anti-crime body said its Haulster team were successfully able to disrupt Magento hackers.

The NCSC said its Haulster operation “automatically flagged fraudulent intention against more than one million stolen credit cards, as a result protecting hundreds of thousands of people from financial loss”.

The crime-fight agency also said that it defended the UK from 658 cyber-attacks from hostile states between last September and August this year.

 

‘Hostile state actors’

NCSC chief executive Ciaran Martin said: “A significant proportion of our work has continued to take the form of defending against hostile state actors.”

He added: “Russia, China, Iran and North Korea continue to pose strategic national security threats to the UK.

“The most immediate threats to UK citizens come from large-scale security global cyber-crime.”

The NCSC was set up in 2015 as part of a £1.9bn cyber-security strategy.

The government, academics, service providers, health and transport firms are the bodies that most regularly call on the agency for support.

Trusted & Regulated Stock & CFD Brokers

Rating

What we like

  • 0% Fees on Stocks
  • 5000+ Stocks, ETFs and other Markets
  • Accepts Paypal Deposits

Min Deposit

$200

Charge per Trade

Zero Commission on real stocks

Rating

64 traders signed up today

Visit Now

67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Available Assets

  • Total Number of Stocks & Shares5000+
  • US Stocks
  • German Stocks
  • UK Stocks
  • European
  • ETF Stocks
  • IPO
  • Funds
  • Bonds
  • Options
  • Futures
  • CFDs
  • Crypto

Charge per Trade

  • FTSE 100 Zero Commission
  • NASDAQ Zero Commission
  • DAX Zero Commission
  • Facebook Zero Commission
  • Alphabet Zero Commission
  • Tesla Zero Commission
  • Apple Zero Commission
  • Microsoft Zero Commission

Deposit Method

  • Wire Transfer
  • Credit Cards
  • Bank Account
  • Paypall
  • Skrill
  • Neteller

Rating

What we like

  • Sign up today and get $5 free
  • Fractals Available
  • Paypal Available

Min Deposit

$0

Charge per Trade

$1 to $9 PCM

Rating

Visit Now

Investing in financial markets carries risk, you have the potential to lose your total investment.

Available Assets

  • Total Number of Shares999
  • US Stocks
  • German Stocks
  • UK Stocks
  • European Stocks
  • EFTs
  • IPOs
  • Funds
  • Bonds
  • Options
  • Futures
  • CFDs
  • Crypto

Charge per Trade

  • FTSE 100 $1 - $9 per month
  • NASDAQ $1 - $9 per month
  • DAX $1 - $9 per month
  • Facebook $1 - $9 per month
  • Alphabet $1 - $9 per month
  • Telsa $1 - $9 per month
  • Apple $1 - $9 per month
  • Microsoft $1 - $9 per month

Deposit Method

  • Wire Transfer
  • Credit Cards
  • Bank Account

Roger Baird

Roger Baird

Roger Baird is News Editor at Finixio. He has worked as a financial journalist for 20 years reporting on companies, capital markets and the UK economy.