A new NFC relay malware family called WindRelay has been discovered operating in combination with SpyNote RAT to enable sophisticated contactless payment fraud. The scheme uses live social engineering phone calls where fraudsters impersonate bank employees and guide victims to install personalized RAT malware labeled with the victim's own name. Once installed, the RAT enables silent deployment of WindRelay, which captures contactless payment card data via NFC when victims tap their cards to their phones. The captured data is relayed in real-time to fraudster-controlled terminals for immediate cash-out through physical purchases or ATM withdrawals. The operation employs dual monetization, combining RAT-driven digital loan fraud with NFC-based card-present transactions. Group-IB identified 23 WindRelay samples targeting victims in Czechia, Slovakia, and Slovenia between November 2025 and July 2026.
