Malware Hits Staples’ Sales System, Exposing Millions Of Credit Card Information

The company's internal investigation has found proof that a malware was installed in the point of sale (POS) systems at 115 different locations. The alleged suspicious cyber activity may have given criminals access to pertinent financial information such as cardholder names, credit card numbers and 3-digit verification code found at the back of the card.

Sony's hacking controversy has been a big issue in the past weeks. But it is quite surprising that an old-fashioned data theft can still be popular given the Staples hacking incident. The Massachusetts-based company did not reveal who they think the hackers were, but it revealed that the malware incident occurred during the popular "back to school" shopping season. Apparently, information on purchases made through infected cash registers and payment terminals between August till September have been picked up in the data breach.

According to Bloomberg, 115 out of the 1,400 Staples stores in the United States have been affected when cyber criminals were able to inject a malware in the point of sale systems of the said stores. The incident was disclosed in October and the company confirmed that it is doing keen investigation on the hacking experience.

For the security and safety of its consumers, Staples mentioned that it has improved its cyber security systems to avoid future malware infections. The company also added that it is working hand in hand with the law enforcement and various credit card companies to help monitor the situation. Surprisingly, the company's data breach does not affect stock holders since the company's stock has increased 10 percent for this year based on the closing of regular trading just last week.

Similar malware attacks have been experienced by large companies like Home Depot which claimed that 56 million credit cards were put at stake last September. Similarly, Target was also attacked by cyber criminals in the latter part of 2013, which was said to have affected a large chunk of U.S. population. Other establishments like" Michaels Store" which is an art-supply chain, department store "Neiman Marcus" and "P.F. Chang's," which is a restaurant chain were also affected by such cyber attack, CNET reports.