Russian National Payment Card Mir Vulnerable to Hacking

By The Moscow Times

June 15, 2016

Russia's Central Bank has warned holders of the national Mir payment card that they could be vulnerable to cyber attacks, the RBC news website reported Wednesday.

A representative of the bank's cyber security center FinCERT, Alexander Chebar, said that attacks could take place against the payment service's remote computer systems, allowing hackers to potentially read card information. Chebar maintained that Mir's security systems were on par with other international card payment systems.

The Mir card payment system was created by the Russian Central Bank to cut reliance on US-based firms Visa and MasterCard. Both companies cut ties with a number of Russian banks subject to US sanctions in 2014. The firms are now required by Russian law to process local payments through the system.

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