DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Heartland Payment Systems Uncovers Malicious Software In Its Processing System (updated)

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Dissent

From their press release:

Payments processor Heartland Payment Systems has learned it was the victim of a security breach within its processing system in 2008. Heartland believes the intrusion is contained.

[…]

No merchant data or cardholder Social Security numbers, unencrypted personal identification numbers (PIN), addresses or telephone numbers were involved in the breach. Nor were any of Heartland’s check management systems; Canadian, payroll, campus solutions or micropayments operations; Give Something Back Network; or the recently acquired Network Services and Chockstone processing platforms.

After being alerted by Visa® and MasterCard® of suspicious activity surrounding processed card transactions, Heartland enlisted the help of several forensic auditors to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. Last week, the investigation uncovered malicious software that compromised data that crossed Heartland’s network.

[…]

Heartland has created a website – www.2008breach.com – to provide information about this incident and advises cardholders to examine their monthly statements closely and report any suspicious activity to their card issuers. Cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized fraudulent charges made by third parties.

Update 1: NetworkWorld reports that breach warnings issued by Oregon Territory Federal Credit Union and Franciscan Skemp Credit Union [pdf] in Wisconsin may be related.

Update 2: Brian Krebs reports that:

Robert Baldwin, Heartland’s president and chief financial officer, said the company, which processes payments for more than 250,000 businesses, began receiving fraudulent activity reports late last year from MasterCard and Visa on cards that had all been used at merchants which rely on Heartland to process payments.

Baldwin said 40 percent of transactions the company processes are from small to mid-sized restaurants across the country. He declined to name any well-known establishments or retail clients that may have been affected by the breach.

“The transactional data crossing our platform, in terms of magnitude… is about 100 million transactions a month,” Baldwin said. “At this point, though, we don’t know the magnitude of what was grabbed.”

Update 3: Tom Claburn has some great coverage on Information Week that provides more info on the nature of the breach:

“There were two elements to it, one of which was a keylogger that got through our firewall,” he said. “Then subsequently it was able to propagate a sniffer onto some of the machines in our network. And those are what was actually grabbing the transactions as they floated over our network.”

No related posts.

Category: Breach IncidentsFinancial SectorMalwareU.S.

Post navigation

← VOIP hacked to the tune of $120k
IN: Call centre manager in the frame over ID scam →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Hunters International to provide free decryptors for all victims as they shut down (1)
  • SEC and SolarWinds Seek Settlement in Securities Fraud Case
  • Cyberattacks Disrupt Iran’s Bread Distribution, Payments Remain Frozen
  • Hacker with ‘political agenda’ stole data from Columbia, university says
  • Keymous+ Hacker Group Claims Responsibility for Over 700 Global DDoS Attacks
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • DOJ investigates ex-ransomware negotiator over extortion kickbacks
  • Hackers Using PDFs to Impersonate Microsoft, DocuSign, and More in Callback Phishing Campaigns
  • One in Five Law Firms Hit by Cyberattacks Over Past 12 Months
  • U.S. Sanctions Russian Bulletproof Hosting Provider for Supporting Cybercriminals Behind Ransomware

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Record-Breaking $1.55M CCPA Settlement Against Health Information Website Publisher
  • Ninth Circuit Reviews Website Tracking Class Actions and the Reach of California’s Privacy Law
  • US healthcare offshoring: Navigating patient data privacy laws and regulations
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • Google Trackers: What You Can Actually Escape And What You Can’t
  • Oregon Amends Its Comprehensive Privacy Statute
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Liberal Majority Strikes Down 176-Year-Old Abortion Ban

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.