Dive Brief:
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security alerted United Parcel Service, among other retailers, that personal and payment information was compromised by malware at 51 of its retail locations in 24 states, or 1% of its retail stores.
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The malware wasn’t detected by up-to-date anti-virus systems. It was detected, instead, by the Department of Homeland Security, and confirmed, identified, and dealt with by UPS’s security firm.
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Names, card numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses were gleaned from some 100,000 transactions between Jan. 20 and Aug. 11. UPS is offering identity and credit protection for affected customers, the company said.
Dive Insight:
The data breaches just keeping coming — no wonder a third of U.S. consumers don’t trust retailers with their personal and financial data. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and retailers have stepped up their efforts to confront the issue, but so far retailers continue to be caught off guard and forced to be reactive, attending to breaches only after they occur.