First spotted by security firm Seculert, the malware dubbed "Dexter" is believed to have infected hundreds of POS systems in 40 countries worldwide in recent months. Companies targeted include retailers, hotel chains, restaurants, and private parking providers.
The US, the UK, and Canada top the list of countries where the malicious app has been found, accounting for 30 per cent, 19 per cent, and 9 per cent of the total number of affected systems, respectively.
This certainly isn't the first time cybercrooks have targeted POS systems. In fact, such attacks are becoming increasingly common – which is no surprise, given how lucrative they can be.
In September, four Romanian hackers pled guilty to charges that they hacked into the POS systems of 150 Subway sandwich shops in the US. Their scheme reportedly lasted two years, during which time they were able to make off with more than $10m in fraudulent charges and funds transfers from stolen payment cards.