A security researchers says he’s confirmed more than 1,200 sites that contain malware designed to skim victims’ credit card information.
According to researcher and security specialist Max Kersten, 1,236 domains were confirmed to be infected with a notorious type of credit card skimming malware called MageCart.
The malware has previously affected major online sites like Ticketmaster and British airwaves and is capable of logging credit card information entered into online forms.
As noted by BleepingComputer, many of the sites found by Kersten had been previously highlighted by other sources given the length of time it took him to chronicle the infections.
Nonetheless, Kersten was able to chronicle the extent of this particular Magecart operation in addition to what types of online shops were affected.
According to his research, the most commonly compromised category of site fell into a general ‘product’ category while minority categories included ‘adult entertainment’ and ‘food.’
Domains included in Kersten’s research show that site’s range from shops selling ski supplies to cosmetics, photo equipment, and more. A full list of affected domains can be seen on Kersten’s blog.
Those domains were overwhelmingly located in the US according to Kersten while others belong to online shops registered in Europe, Australia and some in Canada.
Hacks may persist for weeks, months, or even years without being noticed.
A now infamous Magecart attack on British Airways compromised nearly 400,000 customers’ credit car information last year.
According to the security firm RiskIQ, Magecart hacks have become particularly perilous for e-commerce companies since they often don’t have access to the underlying code that runs their online stores.
