Certificate error leads to payment terminal failures

Many customers at supermarkets or petrol stations are currently experiencing how important it is to monitor the life cycle of certificates.

Since Tuesday, 24 May 2022, it has no longer been possible to pay by ec or credit card at some supermarket checkouts and petrol stations in Germany. According to payment provider Payone, the reason for this is a certificate error in a certain version of the software. Payment terminals are affected all over Germany, and software updates must be installed.

Since the proportion of card payments has risen sharply due to the corona pandemic, chaotic conditions arose at the checkouts on Wednesday. It will probably take some time to rectify the situation; some of the terminals will be replaced.

• For more information see, e.g. heise online (in German only).
• Here you can read how our certificate management tool essendi xc automatically renews certificates and thus helps preventing system failures due to expiring certificates.

Update, 30 Mai 2022

• According to Verifone, the problem is not related to the expiry of a certificate and does not represent a security risk (in German only).

We know from direct contact that it is “explicitly not a certificate error or an expired certificate”. Likewise, “a cyberattack or compromise of any other kind” is explicitly excluded as a possible cause.
 

• This blog article by Günter Born takes an in-depth look at the various press reports and possible causes that may have caused the payment terminal failures (in German only).