OAT-010 Card Cracking

This is an automated threat. To view all automated threats, please see the Automated Threat Category page. The OWASP Automated Threat Handbook - Wed Applications (, print), an output of the OWASP Automated Threats to Web Applications Project, provides a fuller guide to each threat, detection methods and countermeasures. The helps to correctly identify the automated threat.

OWASP Automated Threat (OAT) Identity Number
OAT-010

Threat Event Name
Card Cracking

Summary Defining Characteristics
Identify missing start/expiry dates and security codes for stolen payment card data by trying different values.

Description
Brute force attack against application payment card processes to identify the missing values for start date, expiry date and/or card security code (CSC), also referred to in many ways, including card validation number 2 (CVN2), card validation code (CVC), card verification value (CV2) and card identification number (CID).

When these values are known as well as the Primary Account Number (PAN), OAT-001 Carding is used to validate the details, and OAT-012 Cashing Out to obtain goods or cash.

Other Names and Examples
Brute forcing credit card information; Card brute forcing; Credit card cracking; Distributed guessing attack

CAPEC Category / Attack Pattern IDs

 * 112 Brute Force
 * 210 Abuse of Functionality

CWE Base / Class / Variant IDs

 * 799 Improper Control of Interaction Frequency
 * 837 Improper Enforcement of a Single, Unique Action

WASC Threat IDs

 * 11 Brute Force
 * 21 Insufficient Anti-Automation
 * 42 Abuse of Functionality

OWASP Attack Category / Attack IDs

 * Abuse of Functionality
 * Brute Force Attack