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Michaels Stores Investigating Possible Data Breach
tsu doh nimh writes "Michaels Stores Inc., which runs more than 1,250 crafts stores across the United States, said Saturday that it is investigating a possible data breach involving customer cardholder information. According to Brian Krebs, the journalist who broke the story [and, previously] news of the Target and Neiman Marcus breaches, the U.S. Secret Service has confirmed it is investigating. Krebs cited multiple sources in the banking industry saying they were tracking a pattern of fraud on cards that were all recently used at Michaels Stores Inc. In response to that story, Michaels issued a statement saying it 'recently learned of possible fraudulent activity on some U.S. payment cards that had been used at Michaels, suggesting that the Company may have experienced a data security attack.' In 2011, Michaels disclosed that attackers had physically tampered with point-of-sale terminals in multiple stores, but so far there are no indications what might be the cause of the latest breach. Both Target and Neiman Marcus have said the culprit was malicious software designed to steal payment card data, and at least in Target's case that's been shown to be malware made to infect retail cash registers."
Way too easy to commit fraud. Pay cash for small purchases. And stop giving stores your name for loyalty cards or marketing
Seriously... Why have the US banks not rolled Chip & Pin out yet? This wouldn't be an issue if they had, and it's almost certainly costing them a lot more in refunded transactions than a roll out would have.
There is an easy solution to this problem - don't put point of sale systems on a network with external access. At the minimum one should limit the network addresses these systems are allowed to access.
As soon as the cost of chip and pin is less than the cost of security breaches they will switch. My US credit cards have problems in Canada now because everything there expects chip and pin.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
Put a block on your card to issue a warning as soon as someone buys anything with your credit card other than scrap-booking supplies or boxed wine.
You might not, but the rest of us have mothers, aunts, sister-in-laws, girlfriends, wives, daughters (and all their male counterparts in some cases) that require us to shop at Michael's at least once a year. Typically around either the first week or two of May, or in the few days running up to Dec. 25.
There was a time, though, that Michael's was a fun place to shop. If you didn't have a Hobby Lobby or the like, it was the best place to buy model rockets and the like.
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
So the tech workers have the power to get stuff done and the MBAs take the blame for there mess ups.
CONservatives vs LIEberals or REPTILEcans vs DEMONcrats; you make the call.
Turning a Russian mafia crime scheme into an American political party debate. Do you both have any idea of how stupid you sound? This would not even be relevant if there was an actual difference between party A or party B, which time has shown there is none. Fine, go at each other's throats while your house burns down.
You're in the right direction but not thinking radically enough. The US will want all financial transaction data everywhere. Cos, you know, "terrorists". Go on, let Uncle Sam into your wallet. Surely you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide, citizen. Oh by the way we've noticed you have too much money, more than your "fair share". Somewhere buried in the 13,000 odd pages of US tax code there's something you or your accountant missed, your money is ours now. Hand it over quietly and maybe we don't throw you in jail.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.