Data Security

Just as with great power comes great responsibility, with major advances in technology come ever-changing, ever more inventive ways of upending it. Hacking and other cyberattacks are at least as much of a cybersecurity threat to retail as to other industries, in that they touch millions of consumers and the well-being of their identities and…

Much has been made of the increasingly prominent role of e-commerce within retail — and rightfully so. A number of big-name retailers have dedicated both time and money attempting to challenge Amazon.com's market dominance. When it comes to keeping their brick-and-mortar locations around despite a flurry of e-commerce growth, retailers need to get creative. Virtual…

The Buckle Inc., an apparel retailer that operates more than 450 stores in 44 U.S. states, disclosed Friday that its retail locations were hit by malicious software designed to steal customer credit card data. The disclosure came hours after KrebsOnSecurity contacted the company regarding reports from sources in the financial sector about a possible breach…

An unknown number of Kmart stores have been targeted by hackers, leading to stolen credit card numbers and unauthorized activity on customers’ credit cards, Sears Holdings Corp. said late Wednesday. Kmart’s store payment systems were infected with a virus-like computer code undetectable by current anti-virus systems. No personal information, such as names, addresses, social security…

PCI (payment card industry) compliance may not be a term you hear as often as a small business owner. However, it has noteworthy impact to the level of risk your business assumes in payment processing if you accept credit and debit cards from customers as a form of payment. Despite media headlines that tend to…

Target Corp. will pay 47 states and the District of Columbia a total of $18.5 million as part of a settlement over its 2013 data breach. The breach compromised tens of millions of customers’ credit and debit cards, and led to the resignation of longtime CEO Gregg Steinhafel. As part of the settlement, Target will…

A software glitch caused some issues for Starbucks yesterday. Reports say a software update caused registers at some U.S. and Canadian locations to go offline, forcing Starbucks to give away free coffee. Madeleine Lowenborg-Frick, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said most stores were back online as of late Tuesday night. She also stated the glitch was due…

PCI (payment card industry) compliance may not be a term you hear as often as a small business owner. However, it has noteworthy impact to the level of risk your business assumes in payment processing if you accept credit and debit cards from customers as a form of payment. Despite that media headlines tend to…

Brooks Brothers said Friday it recently became aware of a security incident, which could impact the payment card information of customers who purchased items at its stores between April 4, 2016 and March 1. The upscale men's apparel retailer said the identified malicious software could have impacted users’ names, payment card account numbers, card expiration dates…

The modern marketplace has increasingly shifted toward the internet, which is great for online retailers and businesses. Unfortunately, however, cybercrime has exploded in recent years, and it isn't just large corporations feeling the heat. More than 60 percent of online attacks target small and midsized businesses. To prepare and guard against this new reality, consider…