SciTech Shark – Science & Technology News Reviewer

Massive cyber fraud affecting 250,000 businesses in the United States

Posted on 21. Jan, 2009 by SciTech Shark in Security

Canada’s privacy commissioner said Wednesday she was shocked that New Jersey-based Heartland Payment Systems, which processes credit-card transactions for more than 250,000 businesses in the United States, had found “malicious software” in its operating system.

Canadians who travelled to the United States in 2008 are advised to check their credit-card statements and watch for signs of identity theft after a massive security breach at a U.S.-based company that processes millions of credit cards.

“I’m amazed to see something this significant can still happen with the importance that not only privacy commissioners, but experts everywhere, are placing on security,” said Jennifer Stoddard. “I was concerned to see this going on and the size of it.”

Tech experts say the hack could be one of the largest ever credit- and debit-card data breaches, and that Canadians should watch closely for signs of identity theft. Read more…

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• Heartland’s breach disclosure timing raises eyebrows
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Tags: canada, cyber, ecommerce, fraud, Heartland Payment Systems, malicious, New Jersey, Software, United States