Security breaches at major companies are becoming common headlines. Over the last six months, Target, Apple, Microsoft and P.F. Chang's, to name a few, have been victims of a security flaw in some form. With investigations ongoing, some new details are being released.

The first major news that was announced this week came from Target. The retailer was the victim of a major breach during the 2013 holiday shopping season. Since then, there has been senate hearings, an executive shake-up and investment in new POS hardware and software. This week, however, an article from Forbes announced the actual cost of the breach, which amounts to $148 million.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro also released more information about its breach this week. According to a statement from the company, over the course of eight months, 33 different locations across the country were compromised. Ending on June 11, 2014, three different groups of breaches occurred. The first started on October 19, 2013 and consisted of eight locations. That was followed by eight more on February 21, 2014 and an additional 15 on April 10, 2014. Two other locations were also compromised, but on a different time line. Both started on October 19, 2013 but one ended on October 26. 2013 and the other on April 10, 2014.

One of the drawbacks of running a business that uses POS software is the fact that criminals are starting to target them. With the help of a credit card processing service, any organization will be able to ensure that it is in the best place to combat these criminals.