Android NFC Attacks Surge 188% as Germany Pushes Digital IDs for Cars, Banks, and Driving Licences
13.06.2026 - 13:16:01 | boerse-global.de
A sharp rise in cyberattacks targeting Android’s near-field communication (NFC) interface is casting a shadow over Germany’s accelerating shift to digital identity documents. Security firm Kaspersky recorded roughly 35,600 blocked attacks on Android devices between January and April 2026 — a 188 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The malware family “NFCShare” is being used primarily to target European banking customers, according to the company.
Against that backdrop, Google released a patch in early June for a zero-day vulnerability. Yet industry observers argue that the underlying challenge is design, not just code. “Security must take priority over functionality when designing wallets,” said Henning Dittmer of Ping Identity. He stressed that a high level of trust in line with the eIDAS standard is essential for public acceptance. Data-minimising proofs — confirming only legal age rather than the full identity — are considered a key success factor in that effort.
The push for digital identity has been gathering pace across multiple German sectors since mid-2025. Car dealerships have been able to scan driver’s licences via smartphone since mid-June 2026, thanks to a cooperation with the German Motor Trade Association (ZDK). The identity check takes seconds and is designed to prevent vehicle theft, which has regularly caused five-figure damages. Atruvia, an IT service provider for more than 500 cooperative banks in Germany, uses the “Authada ident” solution for customer identification. By the end of April 2026, over 100,000 identifications had been carried out via that system, with the phone’s NFC chip reading data in under a minute.
Meanwhile, digital vehicle registration documents are already in circulation. The digital vehicle registration document (i-Kfz) has been available since November 2025 and has been downloaded around 1.6 million times. It replaces the paper version for police checks within Germany, though it is not valid abroad. Last November also saw the launch of the digital inspection report (DUB), which is stored with the Federal Motor Transport Authority after each mandatory roadworthiness test.
Looking ahead, the digital driving licence is expected to arrive by the end of 2026. Starting 1 July 2026, a digital tachograph will become mandatory for vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes — at least for cross-border trips. Google Wallet has announced it will integrate digital passports in France and Spain during summer 2026; data will remain stored locally on the device.
A milestone for autonomous mobility came on 11 June 2026, when an assessment methodology for Level-4 self-driving vehicles under real-world conditions was tested for the first time in Berlin. The TĂśV association is calling for standardised data access to ensure the security of connected transport systems.
