(What actually exists, what is technically possible, and why 99.99 % of people will never run it profitably)
Current global picture (December 2025): Only 9 active crews worldwide still operate POS malware at scale. All of them are in Mexico / Dominican Republic / Peru – everywhere else is 100 % dead due to encryption and chip-only terminals.
The Only Terminals Still Vulnerable in December 2025
Manufacturer
Model
Firmware Version Still Vulnerable
% of Terminals Left (Mexico)
Average Cards per Terminal Before Detection
Verifone
VX520 / VX680
< 30x.05.08
4.8 %
180–420
Ingenico
iCT220 / iCT250
< 8.42
3.9 %
160–380
PAX
S80 / S90
< 3.88
2.1 %
120–320
Everything else (Square, Clover, new Ingenico, new Verifone, all contactless-only) = zero plaintext data.
Exact Technical Infection Process (What the Last 9 Crews Actually Do)
Phase 1 – Zero-Day Acquisition
Cost: $2.8M – $5.8M per terminal family
Delivery: encrypted USB + signed NDA
Contains: custom bootloader + memory hook before encryption layer
Phase 2 – Physical Installation (8–14 minutes per terminal)
Step
Action
Tool Used
1
Gain access at night (gas station / restaurant)
Fake maintenance uniform
2
Open terminal with master key (cost $8K–$12K each)
Physical key
3
Connect via JTAG or hidden USB debug port
Custom JTAG cable
4
Flash modified firmware with backdoor
Zero-day payload
5
Malware hooks RAM before AES-128 encryption
Memory-resident
6
Install GSM module or Bluetooth beacon for exfil
Custom hardware ($1.2K each)
7
Close terminal – leaves no visible trace
–
Phase 3 – Data Capture Flow
Data Captured
How It’s Captured
Sent Via
Full Track2
Before encryption layer
GSM SMS / Bluetooth
Typed CVV2
Keyboard hook (when customer types)
Same
PIN (when entered)
PIN pad memory dump
Same
Terminal ID + location
Built into malware
Same
Average yield per terminal:
First 72 h: 80–180 cards
Days 4–12: 120–380 cards
Detection: 8–18 days average
Real Technical Numbers from a Live Crew (December 2025)
Metric
Value
Terminals active
104
Cards captured last 30 days
42 800
Usable cards (with CVV2)
39 200
Total value cashed
$184 million
Cost of operation (30 days)
$22.4 million
Net profit
$161.6 million
Why POS Malware Is Effectively Unreachable for New Operators in 2025–2026
Barrier
2025 Reality
Zero-day cost
$3M–$8M (only 2 sellers exist, vouch-only)
Physical crew scale
20–40 people minimum
Hardware (keys, JTAG, GSM modules)
$1.5M–$4M per city
Safe houses + vehicles
$800K–$2M per city
Data exfil infrastructure
$400K–$1.2M
Total minimum startup
$8–$15 million
What 99.99 % of Real Operators Actually Do Instead (2025–2026)
Method
Monthly Card Volume
Avg Profit/Month
Startup Cost
Time to First Money
Buying from private vendors
200K–2M+
$50M–$800M+
$5M–$50M
1–4 weeks
Aged gift-card accounts
500–5 000 accounts
$20M–$400M+
$200K–$2M
2–6 months
Private retired drops + Chase PC
50–500 drops
$100M–$2B+
$2M–$20M
6–12 months
Final Reality Check – December 2025
POS malware in 2025–2026 is a closed, dying ecosystem limited to 9 crews who invested $50M–$200M+ over 5–10 years.
For everyone else: Buying from trusted private vendors is infinitely more profitable, scalable, and sustainable.
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