It’s no secret that news on the internet commerce / security / hack & bug front is “breaking” more fast and furiously than we’d like it to. But we’re determined to keep you updated so the surprises you have to plan for can be… a wee bit less surprising.
Tag: credit card news
The OpenSSL / “Heartbleed” Bug: Biggest “Hack” Yet?
Well, readers, this is the kind of news we wish we didn’t have to report. On the heels of the weeks and months reporting the details of the too-large Target and Neiman-Marcus data hacks, comes news of what may be the internet’s biggest security glitch… ever.
Windows XP is Everywhere, and It’s Ending: Are Your Point-of-Sales Devices Safe?
As your roving correspondents, we have to, of course, rove. As in hit the road, roam far afield, attend a conference, track down a story. When we do travel, we go — as do you — with an array (too many?) of screens. A small one in our pocket. A mid-size one for reading. And then there’s the laptop. Our travel laptop, which has been with us awhile, is still running the comforts of Windows XP as its operating system.
Beyond the Stripe Swipe: “Contactless” Cards Are Booming
We write a lot about the coming changes to “charge cards” as we’ve known them, for a couple generations. Changes driven both by technology, and the vulnerabilities of that technology. For example, as a regular reader of these posts, you know that EMV cards are coming, with adaptation being pushed even faster by news of massive breaches at Target, Neiman-Marcus, and other retailers.
Taking Checks Still a Good Idea & Other Fallout from Recent Breaches
A thoughtful analysis on Pymnts. com talks about some of the unexpected “fallout” from the recent high-profile credit card breaches. One might expect that such an event would accelerate the calls for adapting more secure “EMV” card standards here, or even spark discussions on whether customers should have ever-shifting “account numbers,” etc., as a way of minimizing security risks. And those discussions have happened.
The Cost of a Breach: Target Reports Profits Nearly Cut in Half
As an astute reader of this space, you have, of course, been following all the news and fallout emanating from the Target data breach, affecting upwards of 110 million customers (and of course numerous banks and credit unions who suddenly had to reissue cards, cover fraudulent charges, etc.)
2014: The Year of the Breach?
We certainly hope not. But the FBI isn’t so sure. A recent Washington Post article states that “nearly two dozen companies have been hacked in cases similar to the Target breach and more almost certainly will fall victim in the months ahead, the FBI recently warned retailers,” this “according to an official who was not authorized to speak publicly.”
Fed Update: They’re Listening. Probably.
They wanted to hear from merchants, processors, bankers, and other, about what could be do to further bring the payment system here in the U.S. (and the way that payment system interacts with systems outside the U.S.) even further into the 21st century, in terms of speed, convenience, security, etc.
Is Card Security Coming to U.S. Credit… “At Last?”
The wake of the biggest data breach in U.S. history continues with its fallout, including the news from targeted Target that the hackers originally were able to pilfer their way into the discount chain’s system by “using electronic credentials stolen from a vendor,” according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
