A study of the newly implemented Google Wallet mobile payment system found that it may have a serious security flaw.
The study, which was conducted by security firm ViaForensics, found that the Google Wallet application on a Nexus S 4G Android smartphone writes unencrypted database files that contain payment transaction histories, according to a report from tech news site the Verge. Details about the cards used could also be found, including balances, credit limits, expiration dates and the last four digits on the card. Other security issues were also present in some cases.
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“Many consumers would not find it acceptable if people knew their credit card balance or limits,” the company stated in its report on the findings, according to the site. “Further, the ability to use this data in a social engineering attack against the consumer directly or a provider is pretty high.”
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Image: Andrew Currie, via Flickr.com
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Betty Chan-Bauza, vice president of product management for Identity Theft 911, writes a regular blog about the potential privacy and identity theft issues consumers may face when dealing with products.
A version of this article originally appeared on Identity Theft 911.
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