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June 13, 2014 at 11:39 PM
Another day, another attack by hackers intent on stealing financial and personal information about the customers of banks and retailers. Even ATMs are vulnerable, it turns out.
What’s a consumer supposed to do?
When we did our 8 Massive Hack Attacks Aimed at Financial Data, we got a few tips from security expert Gary Raphael, senior vice president, risk consulting for ACE Private Risk Services.
Vigilance is key, it seems. Changing passwords, not divulging personal information unless there’s a real need to do so and using encryption can all help.
The fact is that we all live online now. Because of that, we are vulnerable. In a large measure, our fate is being left up to companies and institutions large and small. Hopefully, they are paying attention and making sure they keep up with the increasingly sophisticated hackers.
We’ve assembled a list of 6 Big Hack Attacks Targeting Financial Data. They’re listed in ascending order from fewest to most people affected.
6. Chicago Taxis, unknown number affected
In March, the First American Bank of Illinois warned its customers (and anyone else listening) that they were the target of what seems to be an unusual hack attack. The thieves set their sights on the city’s taxi payment system. It didn’t matter which of several Chicago taxi companies a rider used, their data was put at risk if payment was made with plastic. The bank said it stumbled onto the scheme when it heard from several customers about fraudulent transactions in their accounts. The bank First American said it was able to trace the problem back to the taxi system. So far, officials have not reported finding any proof of a data breach beyond the initial reports.
5. Neiman Marcus, 2,400 affected
In January, the upscale retailer reported that the data associated with 1.1 million credit cards had been put at risk of being stolen through point-of-sale malware. The retailer didn’t know about the problem for months, and even after learning of it in October waited to announce it. In all, credit card companies notified 2,400 Neiman Marcus customers that their cards might have been used illicitly.
4. Michaels, 3 million affected
