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Restaurant Credit Card Breaches: How Google Helped

Posted: March 23, 2017 to Cybersecurity.

Tags: Data Breach, Malware, Cloud Security

Google algorithms helped identify the source of a massive credit card breach - for the second time in just nine months, with its big “This site may be hacked” warning. And oddly enough, the source of both breaches? Restaurants chains. Restaurants use Point of Sale (POS) terminals in their businesses to help track items such as orders, inventory, and sales, and both breaches are believed to have involved hacking of the POS software - 24×7 Hospitality Technology in the most recent breach, and Datapoint in the earlier one. Both companies were victims of PoSeidon; a virus that is able to siphon credit card information off a cash register or POS terminal every time a credit card is swiped. The most recent compromise appeared to span from late October of last year to mid-January of this year. One reason that restaurants appear to be such an easy target is that they use the POS systems and thus do not communicate directly with banks, making it much more difficult to identify, let alone actually track the breach. Once the malware is installed, the hackers are able to remotely collect and store the data. Fortunately, despite the annoying beeping noise emitted by the new cards, microchipped credit cards encrypt consumer information, making this type of breach much more difficult in the future. Other than that, the only real way to stay safe is by paying in cash.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books
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