Contents tagged with Credit Card Terminals

  • Marriott franchise hit by another string of breaches

    February 10, 2015
    Many of the Marriott Hotel locations whose credit processing systems were compromised in 2013 experienced a similar breach in the second half of last year.

    Many of the Marriott Hotel locations whose credit processing systems were compromised in 2013 experienced a similar breach in the second half of last year. After several banks and credit institutions investigated incidents of fraud on credit and debit accounts, investigative reporter Brian Krebs followed the payments to the series of hotels, 14 in total. 

    The locations in question are run by franchise operator White Lodging Services, and the breach was traced to hacked point of sale systems. The compromises mostly occurred at restaurants and bars at the hotels, between September 2014 and January 2015, according to Jeff Goldman at eSecurity Planet. 

    "We recently were made aware of the possibility of unusual credit card transactions at a number of hotels operated by one of our … more

  • Dairy Queen attacked by vicious malware

    October 29, 2014
    Ever since Target was crippled by a high-profile card data breach, all eyes have been turned to the IT security of major retail-level stores. Dairy Queen recently announced that it had also been targeted by a breach involving a new form of malware called "Backoff." Though it is downplaying the effects of this intrusion, the company admitted that payment card data at nearly 400 locations across the country was affected over the summer.

    The company says that the breach exposed multiple types of identifying data, including card numbers and expiration dates, but that there's no evidence that more sensitive information, like Social Security Numbers and PIN, were revealed to outside forces. One Orange Julius store was also affected in addition to the Dairy Queens.

    "We are committed to working … more

  • Updates revealed to previously big POS breach news

    August 06, 2014
    New updates show the reach of a credit card breach.

    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 … more

  • Best practices for implementing small business credit card acceptance

    July 02, 2014
    Adding credit card processing to a business can be a complicated process. The decision to accept or not accept credit card payments is something that every business owner will need to make.  Because it takes research, it is advisable to not wait until the last minute.  Proper planning is essential to identifying the best payment service providers for your business. 

    A recent article from Business News Daily laid out some advice that every organization should consider when it comes to implementing credit card payment processing. These include:

    Educate yourself on the lingo

    Partner with a credit card processor that meets your needs

    Understand data security and PCI compliance requirements

    Know the processing fees

    As we have written about in the past, for those just starting out in business we suggest companies consider their payment … more

  • Has cash finally been replaced?

    February 25, 2014
    Is the use of cash on its way out?

    There have been several major shifts in the payment industry over the last decade. The use of plastic has increased, eCommerce has grown dramatically and mobile devices have started to gain a serious foothold. Through all this, cash has remained a solid option.

    However, a new study from Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project has found that the use of cash could be on its last legs. According to respondents, 2020 could be the final year for paper money.

    The report found that 65 percent of technology experts and stakeholders believe confidence will grow among consumers and they will fully embrace smart-device swiping for purchases, doing away with cash. This seems inevitable as the use of mobile devices continues to grow and the convenience, security and other … more

  • MasterCard, Visa make strides to improve NFC adoption

    February 24, 2014
    Visa and MasterCard are making strides to improve NFC options.

    Near field communication (NFC) technology has been generating headlines around the payment industry for some time. Its inclusion in the hardware of Apple devices has been rumored, but nothing has come of it yet. The technology could be taking a big step into the mainstream in 2014 thanks to an announcement from two different card providers.

    According to a recent article from PYMNTS, Visa and MasterCard announced a cloud-based solution which is geared toward delivering and supporting mobile contactless transactions. The system will leverage Host Card Emulation (HCE), which is an open architecture that enables payments and other NFC services.

    The November upgrade to the most popular mobile operating platform, Android OS KitKat 4.4, supports HCE, and through the use of some … more

  • Retail executives discuss POS breaches before Congress

    February 04, 2014
    POS security conversation comes to Washington.

    Last week, we covered the interchange debate in Washington related to the anti-trust lawsuit against MasterCard and Visa. Now, according to CBS News, there is another point of sale conversation coming to Congress, and this one involves POS security.

    When it comes to point of sale breaches, 2013 was a particularly bad year. The attack on Target and Neiman Marcus headlined a year that includes several other organizations becoming the victim of criminals. In January, the FBI issued a warning to the retail industry, stressing the possibilities of an increase in future attacks.

    This week, executives from Neiman Marcus, Target and several other organizations will be in Congress to answer questions about the events surrounding the breaches. Currently, there is talk of new laws … more

  • Retail payment makes list of top job skills in 2013

    January 06, 2014
    Traditional cash registers are starting to be seen as outdated.

    When you consider what could have been the top skills in demand for the corporate world over the last year, there is good chance that the payment industry would not be on it. However, with the way that technology in this sector is evolving, it would seem that it should be in the conversation.

    Well, not only should it be talked about, but a recent study from LinkedIn found that it is near the top of the list. The enterprise social media website recently conducted a study to try and discover what was popular in 2013. This was handled by examining the history and changes made by over 259 million members, as well as what recruitment firms are searching for.

    The result was a top 25 list of in-demand skills from the last year. Unsurprisingly, IT and social media make up the top of the … more

  • PCI compliance on display following Target network breach

    December 31, 2013
    Earlier this month, during the busiest shopping time of the year, it was announced by Target that the company was the victim of a prolonged security breach that affected at least 45 million credit card numbers. The exact nature of the attack is still unknown, but it is considered one of the biggest retail credit card breaches in history.

    In the aftermath of the attack, many security experts have speculated as to how such an attack could be possible. One article from CRN spoke with several security experts to examine how the complexities of PCI compliance could have played a role.

    According to Rick Doten, the chief information security officer at Digital Management, one of the biggest takeaways is the evidence that a massive breach is survivable.

    "I'm not surprised to see another … more

  • Examining the current state of interchange rates

    December 03, 2013
    Interchange rates are a key component to merchant payment solutions.

    For the international business world, interchange regulations are one of the more complicated topics of debate. Understanding the global trends in this medium will be key to setting up a new standard in the industry.

    A new report from Mercator Advisory Group examined the current state of international interchange regulation. It looked into the world of legislators and regulators that are setting interchange fees, and examined whether a reduction or cap on the amount that financial institutes and global card networks can charge merchants interchange fees for accepting payment card transactions would be viable.

    The study found that there is little evidence that a cap accomplishes its intended goal of saving money for both merchants and customers. In fact, it seems like the … more