Investigating EMV chip and pin card security

Following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, there was a global shift towards card payments over traditional cash transactions, preferring chip and pin cards. Within the context of this study, these are called EMV cards. In the financial industry, the EMV protocol is a global standard for credit and debit card transactions using chip enabled smart cards. EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa, the three companies that initially developed the standard. As the adoption of these cards rose, so did the incidents of hacking and exploitation attempts. Motivated by these challenges, the author chose to investigate the security aspects of the EMV protocol. Throughout the investigation, the author successfully executed a MITM attack on three bank cards, effectively intercepting the communications between the cards and the terminal. By carefully analyzing these intercepted packets, the author was able to extract crucial card details, including the card number, expiry date, card type, transaction amount, and currency. The author also managed to obtain the PIN code for two of the cards successfully This report aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the EMV protocol's functioning and identify the specific protocol features employed in Chip-and-PIN cards. Additionally, the study seeks to identify any potential security vulnerabilities in the transaction process. The findings and insights gained from this study are expected to contribute valuable knowledge to enhance the overall security of card payment systems in today's interconnected financial landscape.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

msc

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Lidheem, Mahamood

• T Technoleg (Cyffredinol)

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:3005