In the News
Online shopping takes another hit. In Fashion Site Sixth June Leaking Card Data to Magecart Hackers, Phil Muncaster at InfoSecurity Magazine discusses how another online clothing retailer has become the victim of card-skimming. Muncaster explains that customer payment information was skimmed from the online retailer in a sophisticated attack. Muncaster furthers that the CEO has yet to respond to the identified attack and stresses the need for company accountability in detecting such events.
Our Take
Online shopping is a booming trend specifically in the retail industry. Not only are there thousands of retailers for customers to choose from, but online shopping allows customers to make purchases with ease from their home or remote locations. This influx in online shopping has made online retailers the targets of many card skimming attacks and data breaches because malicious attackers can gain access to customer payment information in mass quantities. On the consumer end, it is critical that everyone proceeds with caution when shopping online and chooses to make purchases not only at reputable sellers but that you are tracking your finances to make sure that you were only charged for what you intended to purchase. Additionally, the responsibility can not only fall on customers and retailers themselves must take the necessary precautions to prevent and detect these events.
Recommendations
How can you better protect your financial data when shopping online?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Make purchases at reputable online retailers
- Minimize the number of accounts that have direct access to your bank account or card numbers
- Check your email, financial accounts, and credit reports regularly for abnormal activities
- Stay up to date on the news regarding recent security breaches to see if you may have been affected