40+ companies hacked, 1 million credit card numbers stolen

[Vincent]

This is off topic but very much worth knowing about. Here's a quotation from Ars Technica's article about this:



<< Well it finally happened. The Big One. A coordinated hacking attempted on over 40 companies in the United States, and an unknown total world-wide. Industry doomsayers have been predicting this for years. Security consulting firms have been holding this over our head for years. Security product firms have been spending more time slinging dirt at each other, and patting themselves on the back, than dealing with the potential for a coordinated attack of this caliber. >>



Here's a Washington Post article about it:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43993-2001Mar8.html

The Ars Technica article is here:
http://www.arstechnica.com/wankerdesk/01q1/greathack-1.html

The FBI press release is here:
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrm/pressrel/pressrel01/nipc030801.htm

 

[bacillus]

that's frightening! :Q

 

[boomerang]

If you believe the FBI press release, this could have been prevented by installing a patch.

If this is true, these 40+ companies should be charged by the Attorney General of the US.

A simple patch. Talk about gross negligence.

Edit: And yet another spelling error!

 

[Leo V]

Maybe if there were privacy laws protecting your personal information from corporate entities who collect them... :|

 

[PG]

I just want to know which 40+ companies!

In the meantime, check your cards on a regular basis.

 

[boomerang]

Yeah, are they planning on telling us which companies these are?

I just went to the US Attorney Generals homepage and there is no email link. I guess I'm not surprised, the office would be swamped with emails on a regular basis.

Geesh, I might have to write a letter!

 

[JellyBaby]

This is one reason ASP (app service providers) and remote data storage won't take off anytime soon. .Net is premature. I'm not at all liking the idea of storing valuable data online only to have remote IT departments get hacked and some twit gets my data.

 

[megatexel]

these companies should be REQUIRED to delete all of our info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they can't be trusted anyway :|:disgust:

 

[OS]

Dammit, I want to know also which 40 companies were hacked!!

 

[Leo V]

&quot;only to have remote IT departments get hacked and some twit gets my data&quot;

The twits getting your data are those companies in the first place. They should have no right to store people's personal info without consent. If crackers break in and &quot;steal&quot; your data, they're repeating what those companies had already accomplished.

Add me to the list of inquirers for those 40 company names.

 

[madthumbs]

I hope the hackers give us their sources of the numbers with evidence so we can sue these irresponsible companies.

 

[MikeO]

..guess my friend doesnt have to ask me again why I havent ever used my credit card on 'net. Whheew.. It's good to know I'm not on their list.

 

[sharkeeper]

Sue, yes! The American way!

Anyone happen to know Johnnie Cochran's number?

Cheers!

 

[Adul]

I am glad I change my card number again just recently.

 

[Adul]

has sad has this is, it was a needed action. Now maybe people will pay more attention to security.

 

[piku]

<< They should have no right to store people's personal info without consent. >>



So typing your CC number into a web form doesn't constitute as consent?

Websites don't store your CC information, and for the ones that do its optional (which means that you, the user, chooses). Unless their doing things that we don't know about, which would be major suck.

 

[KMurphy]

This sucks

 

[Russ]

<< In several recent incidents hackers have demanded $100,000 from companies such as CD Universe and Creditcards.com. >>



Okay, now THAT pisses me off. I have my site hosted on UNIX because it is more secure, I delete the order logs regularly to make sure that ZERO customer information is on the site, and NOW I find out that the processing service had a gaping hole?

There are a HELL of a lot of merchants that use Creditcards.com, and I know one that is going to be on the phone Monday tearing them a new asshole.

Russ, NCNE