Researchers claim to have unearthed a potentially worrying problem with Apple Pay.
The team has found that sizeable, unauthorised contactless payments can actually be made on locked iPhones.
In a video, the researchers have explained how an Apple Pay feature designed to help commuters to pay quickly for their journeys can be exploited by hackers.
According to the research team, the issue specifically applies to Visa cards that are set up in ‘Express Transit’ mode.
Apple has acknowledged the issue, describing it as a “concern with a Visa system”.
However, Visa has insisted that payments are secure, and that hacks of this kind aren’t really likely in a real-world scenario.
Ken Munro, a security researcher with Pen Test Partners, who was not involved in the research, told the BBC: “Perhaps the greatest worry is for a lost or stolen phone.
“The crook doesn’t have to be concerned about being spotted by others as they carry out the attack any more.”
Meanwhile, Apple recently announced that it will allow certain apps to include a sign-up link.
The tech giant will allow “reader apps” to link to a website where users can sign up and manage new and existing accounts from early 2022.
At present, app developers are required to use Apple’s in-app purchase systems, and cannot usually point users to buying content elsewhere.
