SEE | http://goo.gl/tEPr19 (Google search: target “credit card” breach)

Nearly all of the red credit card swipe-and-sign terminals, in all the cash register lanes, in all of the US’s Target stores (which terminals were compromised, and from which the data from literally millions and millions of credit cards were stolen and then sold to hackers who then used them to make illegal purchases) were running (and continue to run) embedded XP.

In fairness, though, XP being the OS didn’t really play a role, per se, in the ease with which the hackers accomplished the breach. It turns out that it would have happened exactly the same, even if the terminals had been running embedded Win8. The breach was due to a combination of Target IT staff not really knowing what in the heck it was doing, combined with the mechanics of the breach being OS-independent.

Still, it’s interesting. Again, nice article. Between what it describes, and card skimming…

SEE http://goo.gl/mkefn9 (Google search: “card skimmer” atm)

…ATM users have to be really careful. Same with those who use their credit cards at gas pumps…

…though users of cards issued by the gas station company are less at risk than are those who swipe their MasterCards and VISAs at gas pumps, where card skimming is an even more common thing.

Additionally, swipers of MasterCards and VISAs (and other not-gas-company-issued, generalized credit cards) at gas pumps also end-up getting a whole bunch of their available credit above and beyond the amount of the actual purchase temporarily held/frozen, pending final clearing of the actual purchase amount through the merchant system.

So, using MasterCard and/or VISA at a gas pump is just dumb, to begin with. Sadly, it’s becoming more and more true for those who use ATMs, as well.

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Gregg L. DesElms
Napa, California USA
gregg at greggdeselms dot com

Veritas nihil veretur nisi abscondi.
Veritas nimium altercando amittitur.