Remember when it was announced that more than four million federal employees in the country were part of a massive data breach last month? Well, turns out that was just one of two rather large data breaches to hit the Office of Personnel Management, with the newly announced second, larger hack affecting upwards of 21 million current and former employees, as well as prospective employees, their families and others who applied for federal background investigations in the last 15 years. [More]
data breaches
4 Million Federal Employees Are The Latest Victims Of A Massive Data Breach
By 6.5.15
There are millions of federal employees in the country, and not just in Washington, DC. The government is a big bureaucracy and a big employer — and that makes it a nice, juicy target for a big data breach. [More]
American Credit Cards Are Most Popular In The World For Hacks, Fraud (Because Our Tech Stinks)
By 5.29.15
If it feels like we hear a whole lot of stories about retail data breaches here in the U.S., well, that’s because we do. Americans are super duper popular targets for card hacks and fraud, and it’s for one simple reason: our credit card security is bad and should feel bad. [More]
Data Breaches Now Cost Companies An Average Of $3.8M
By 5.28.15
The aftermath of a now all-too-common data breach can be frustrating for consumers: canceling credit cards, monitoring credit reports for irregularities, and working with banks to recoup unauthorized purchases. But the hacks can also be expensive for the targeted company, with the average cost now sitting at a 10-year high of $3.8 million. [More]
Report: AdultFriendFinder Hack Attack Exposes Info For Millions Of Dating Site’s Users
By 5.22.15
AdultFriendFinder.com is one of the largest online dating sites out there and now it’s suffered a hack attack that’s exposed a hefty portion of its 64 million members: According to a new report, the data of up to four million users of the hookup site has been exposed. [More]
Sally Beauty Confirms “Illegal Intrusion” Into Payment Card Systems At Some U.S. Stores
By 5.14.15
After announcing earlier this month that it was investigating possible security breaches in its credit card payments at some U.S. stores, Sally Beauty has confirmed that there’s evidence of a data breach, its second in a little more than two years. [More]
FTC Chair Edith Ramirez Talks Privacy, Data Security
By 3.12.15
You may now be able to change your thermostat from another continent, your fridge might know when you need to buy more eggs, and your connected TV recommends shows and movies. But is your data being used for things other than keeping your house warm, your eggs in stock, and your kids entertained — and, just as importantly — is it secure? [More]
New Visa Feature Uses Smartphone Location Tracker To Prevent Fraud By Knowing Where You Are At All Times
By 2.18.15
Forgetting to tell your bank that you’ll be traveling far outside of your normal spending zone can often lead to frustrations like having transactions rejected out of concern that your card is being used fraudulently. In an attempt to make the lives of frequent travelers easier – and prevent fraud – Visa plans to launch a new service this spring that automatically informs banks where you are. [More]
FBI Now Investigating Possible Fraudulent Federal Tax Returns From TurboTax
By 2.12.15
Days after TurboTax resumed e-filing of all state tax returns following a third-party security expert’s finding that fraudulent activity reported by state tax officials did not result from a breach of Intuit’s own systems, federal regulators announced they would take a look for themselves. [More]
Banks Report Possible Data Breach At Chick-Fil-A Restaurants
By 12.31.14
2014 has been a year of point-of-sale data breaches, so why should the last day of the year be any different? Chick-Fil-A is the newest member of the Possible Breach Club, and is currently investigating reports of fraudulent transactions on customer credit cards. The reported breach would have started on December 2, 2013 and lasted until September 30, 2014. [More]
Staples Confirms 1.16 Million Cards Breached In 115 Stores
By 12.22.14
Back in October, big-box office-supply retailer Staples announced that it was investigating a possible customer payment data breach. The results of that investigation are in: yes, the payment systems of some Staples stores were breached. [More]
In Wake Of Target Ruling, Will Retailers Scale Back Security So They Can Plead Ignorance?
By 12.10.14
Last week, a federal court in Minnesota gave the go-ahead to a lawsuit filed against Target by several banks trying to claim damages from the massive 2013 payment systems breach. Now, some worry that the court’s decision could lead retailers to go with simpler, perhaps less secure, systems rather than risk missing a red flag on a more complicated one. [More]
Nationwide Data Breach Hits Clothing Retailer Bebe, Payment Card Info Stolen
By 12.5.14
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: when consumers nationwide can find out that their credit and debit card information has been lost to hackers right when they’re trying to get all of their holiday shopping done. This week’s unfortunate victims? Consumers of women’s clothing retailer Bebe, found in malls nationwide. [More]
Report: Payment Information Breaches At Staples And Michaels May Be Linked
By 11.17.14
It’s no longer surprising news when hackers infiltrate the systems of a brick-and-mortar retailer and run off with our credit card numbers. Shoppers have come to expect that kind of thing as a normal part of shopping. However, it’s interesting (and a bit scary) to note that two relatively small breaches at national chains could be linked. [More]
Report: Breach Of USPS’ Networks Compromises Personal Data Of 2.9M Customers, 750K Employees & Retirees
By 11.10.14
Let’s all pick our jaws up off the floor because, and I know you won’t believe this, yet another security breach has compromised the personal information of millions of people. The latest in what has become an unfortunate trail of hack attacks has hit the U.S. Postal Service computer system, officials say. [More]
Survey: The Crime Americans Worry About Most? Credit Card Hack Attacks
By 10.28.14
Times used to be, a person worried enough about pickpockets to keep personal belongings clutched as close as possible while walking through that dark alley, possibly filled with ruffians. But nowadays, the crime Americans worry about most is another kind of thievery, one you can’t protect yourself against by sticking to well-trafficked streets — namely, that of the credit-card hacking kind. [More]
Staples Latest National Retailer Investigating Possible Data Breach
By 10.21.14
Office supply store Staples may be joining the likes of Dairy Queen, Jimmy Johns and Home Depot as the latest national retailer to be hit with a cyberattack. [More]
Will You Avoid Data-Breached Retailers This Holiday Season?
By 10.20.14
The massive 2013 holiday data breach of Target, which siphoned off the personal and payment information for more than 100 million shoppers, provided an eye-opening moment for consumers who had previously assumed that this sort of ID theft mostly happened when shopping online. The Target debacle was followed by attacks on big-name businesses like Home Depot, Dairy Queen, P.F. Chang’s, Jimmy John’s, Kmart, and the Albertsons/Jewel-Osco/ACME, Shaw’s chains of supermarkets… twice. But will all these lapses in security actually drive shoppers elsewhere this holiday season? [More]
