5 posts and columns on credit card numbers

Hackers Aren't Only Threat to Privacy

in News on June 23, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Sophisticated hackers aren’t the only ones gaining access to sensitive data on the Internet. A large amount of personal information is being left exposed or poorly protected by companies and governments. The number of identity-theft victims in the U.S. jumped 12 percent to 11.1 million in 2009, according to research company Javelin Strategy & Research.

Security Breach At ReachLocal, But Avoids Pulling A Blippy

in News on April 28, 2010 at 3:32 pm PT

A security breach this month at ReachLocal Inc. is bad timing for the online advertising agency. The venture-backed company is in IPO registration, so it was required to disclose in an amended S-1 filing Tuesday that a recent breach disrupted its customers’ advertising campaigns and resulted in its Australia platform going offline for 36 hours.

Cybercrime Capitalizes on Swine-Flu Fears

in News on November 18, 2009 at 10:48 am PT

Cybercriminals are capitalizing on swine-flu fears by pitching sales of fake Tamiflu, security firm Sophos said. Networks of fraudsters use spam and malware to direct Web traffic to phony pharmaceutical sites, wrote Graham Cluley, a technology consultant for Sophos.

Web 2.0 Expo: PayPal Says Online Fraud Rising in Recession

in News on April 1, 2009 at 12:03 pm PT

EBay’s PayPal kicked off the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco Wednesday with a frightening presentation on the “arms race” between online fraudsters and online retailers and shoppers. Online fraud is becoming so lucrative, said Katherine Hutchison, PayPal’s senior director of global risk management, that it has developed into an industry with specialized players that hire each other in areas such as harvesting credit card numbers and freight forwarding. “A single professional thief doesn’t have to have all of the skills needed to commit fraud,” she said.