@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@ - +Hackers can steal your credit or debit card details in just six seconds, experts have found.<br>Academics say security flaws mean it is ‘frighteningly easy' to collect the number, expiry date and the three digit security code of Visa cards.<br>These are all the details a fraudster needs to transfer money from a bank account or rack up huge spending on a credit card.<br>The Cyberteam from the Newcastle University believes that the technique, known as a Distributed Guessing Attack, was used in the recent £2.5million hack on the 20,000 customers of Tesco bank.<br>The research, published today in the journal IEEE Security & Privacy, shows the method means cyber criminals can circumvent all the security features which should protect online payments from fraud. <br> The number, expiry date and the three digit security code is all that is needed to commit fraud (file pic)<br> The Cyberteam from the Newcastle University believes that the technique was used in the recent £2.5million hack on the 20,000 customers of Tesco bank (file pic)<br>Hackers are able to get hold of valid debit and credit card numbers, but they do not know the expiry date or security code. <br>The scam involves using a computer programme to automatically fire the card number at a vast number of websites.<br>Within seconds, hackers are able to get a ‘hit' and then use guessing software to establish the card expiry date and security code.<br>The Newcastle team say that this jigsaw process, which on the face of it appears hugely complex, can take as little as six seconds.<br><br>When a consumer accesses a website, they are normally asked for a password. If they fail to get the correct one after a fixed number of attempts they will be effectively locked out.<br> RELATED ARTICLES <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br><br><br>However, the Newcastle team said there is no system to stop criminals using a computer to make a vast number of guesses at a Visa card number and then other security details across a range of websites.<br>Mohammed Ali, of the university's School of Computing Science, warned that hackers do not even need a genuine Visa card number to start the hacking process.<br><br>He said: ‘Most hackers will have got hold of valid card numbers as a starting point but even without that it's relatively easy to generate variations of card numbers and automatically send them out across numerous websites to validate them.<br>‘The next step is the expiry date.<br>Banks typically issue cards that are valid for 60 months so guessing the date takes at most 60 attempts.<br>‘The CVV [the three-digit security code] is your last barrier and theoretically only the card holder has that piece of information - it isn't stored anywhere else.<br><br>But guessing this three-digit number takes fewer than 1,000 attempts.<br> The experts found it is only the Visa network that was vulnerable.<br><br>If you liked this information and you would certainly such as to get additional details relating to [https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0BKKN6G2R Best cvv sites] kindly check out our own website. MasterCard blocks the card after a few unsuccessful attempts (file pic)<br>Spread this out over 1,000 websites and one will come back verified within a couple of seconds. And there you have it - all the data you need to hack the account.' <br>He added: ‘The unlimited guesses, when combined with the variations in the payment data fields make it frighteningly easy for attackers to generate all the card details one field at a time.'<br>The Newcastle team found it was only the Visa network that was vulnerable.<br><br>The rival MasterCard network blocks a card after a few unsuccessful attempts to use it across several websites.<br>Dr Martin Emms, co-author on the research paper, said there is no ‘magic bullet' to protect yourself from online fraud.<br>He said: ‘We can all take simple steps to minimise the impact if we do find ourselves the victim of a hack.<br><br>Be vigilant, check your statements and balance regularly and watch out for odd payments.'<br>