• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Wing FTP Server flaw actively exploited shortly after technical details were made public

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 53

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 532 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

McDonald’s job app exposes data of 64 Million applicants

 | 

Athlete or Hacker? Russian basketball player accused in U.S. ransomware case

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

UK NCA arrested four people over M&S, Co-op cyberattacks

 | 

PerfektBlue Bluetooth attack allows hacking infotainment systems of Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Skoda

 | 

Qantas data breach impacted 5.7 million individuals

 | 

DoNot APT is expanding scope targeting European foreign ministries

 | 

Nippon Steel Solutions suffered a data breach following a zero-day attack

 | 

Iranian group Pay2Key.I2P ramps Up ransomware attacks against Israel and US with incentives for affiliates

 | 

Hackers weaponize Shellter red teaming tool to spread infostealers

 | 

Microsoft Patch Tuesday security updates for July 2025 fixed a zero-day

 | 

Italian police arrested a Chinese national suspected of cyberespionage on a U.S. warrant

 | 

U.S. CISA adds MRLG, PHPMailer, Rails Ruby on Rails, and Synacor Zimbra Collaboration Suite flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

IT Worker arrested for selling access in $100M PIX cyber heist

 | 

New Batavia spyware targets Russian industrial enterprises

 | 

Taiwan flags security risks in popular Chinese apps after official probe

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Google Chromium V8 flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Cyber Crime
  • Hacking
  • Malware
  • Credit Card Skimmer campaign targets WordPress via database injection

Credit Card Skimmer campaign targets WordPress via database injection

Pierluigi Paganini January 13, 2025

Stealthy credit card skimmer targets WordPress e-commerce sites, injecting malicious JavaScript into CMS database tables to evade detection.

Sucuri researchers warn of a stealthy credit card skimmer campaign targeting WordPress e-commerce sites by injecting malicious JavaScript into CMS database tables.

The attackers hide the malicious code in the WordPress wp_options table, injecting obfuscated JavaScript into widget_block to evade file scans and maintain persistence.

“The malicious code was embedded in the WordPress database under the wp_options table, specifically in the row:

option_name: widget_block
option_value: Contains obfuscated JavaScript code.” reads the post published by Sucuri.

“By injecting itself into the database rather than theme files or plugins, the malware avoids detection by common file-scanning tools. This allows it to persist quietly on compromised WordPress sites.”

The experts discovered that the malicious was injected into the HTML block widget through the WordPress admin panel (wp-admin > widgets).

The JavaScript code specifically targets checkout pages, activating when a user is about to enter payment details. The malicious code dynamically generates a fake payment screen mimicking legitimate processors like Stripe, designed to capture sensitive information such as credit card details and billing information. Alternatively, the script can also intercept data entered on real payment screens in real time for broader compatibility.

“The script checks if the page URL contains “checkout” while excluding “cart.” This ensures the malware only activates when users are ready to submit their payment details. It dynamically creates a fake payment form that mimics legitimate payment processors (e.g., Stripe). The form includes fields for credit card number, expiration date, CVV, and billing information. If a legitimate payment form is already on the page, the script captures data entered into these fields in real time.” reads the report published by Sucuri.

“This approach ensures that users unknowingly provide their sensitive payment details to the attacker.”

The credit card skimmer encodes stolen data in Base64 format and encrypts them with AES-CBC to make it appear harmless and make the analysis harder. The data is finally transmitted to an attacker-controlled server (“valhafather[.]xyz” or “fqbe23[.]xyz”).

To remove the malware, log into your WordPress admin panel and navigate to wp-admin > Appearance > Widgets. Inspect all Custom HTML block widgets for any suspicious or unfamiliar <script> tags.

“This credit card skimmer demonstrates how attackers are evolving their techniques to hide malware within WordPress databases and target sensitive checkout processes.” concludes the report. “By injecting fake payment forms or hijacking existing ones, they can silently exfiltrate payment details without detection.”

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, credit card skimmer)


facebook linkedin twitter

credit card skimmer Cybercrime Hacking hacking news information security news IT Information Security malware Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News Wordpress

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 13, 2025
Wing FTP Server flaw actively exploited shortly after technical details were made public
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 13, 2025
SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 53
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Wing FTP Server flaw actively exploited shortly after technical details were made public

    Hacking / July 13, 2025

    SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 53

    Breaking News / July 13, 2025

    Security Affairs newsletter Round 532 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

    Breaking News / July 13, 2025

    McDonald’s job app exposes data of 64 Million applicants

    Hacking / July 12, 2025

    Athlete or Hacker? Russian basketball player accused in U.S. ransomware case

    Cyber Crime / July 11, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT