Headaches for the Holidays
We’re fast approaching the biggest holiday shopping season for retailers. Just how big? According to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer spending survey, consumers plan to spend an average of $935.58 each this holiday season in 2016. What’s more, 41% of consumers plan to start their shopping this month. Every year, consumers entrust their financial and personal information (everything from credit card data to home addresses) to retailers both big and small. But are these stores doing enough to keep their customers’ data safe?
[You might also like: Darknet 101: An Introduction to The Darkest Places Online]
PCI compliance is a great first step but often is not enough to prevent a savvy hacker from breaking into your network and stealing your customer data. Why would hackers want this data? Some may wish to use the credentials for other malicious activity. But if the attackers are looking to make a profit, they may look to sell the data on various marketplaces on the Darknet. Credit card data in particular sells quickly, and at a fraction of a cent when in bulk, where it can then be resold for even less. For just a few Bitcoin, someone can purchase hundreds of credit card numbers.
Are you sure you are doing enough to protect your customer’s credit card data?
