[ISN] Montgomery Ward kept the Internet security breach quiet until June

[InfoSec News]

http://newsoxy.com/headline/montgomery_ward_consumers_credit_cards_hacked/article11169.htm

By Mary Couchman
NewsOXY.com
June 28, 2008

Montgomery Ward Direct Marketing Services CEO, David Milgrom, said the 
financial company Citigroup detected the computer invasion in December. 
By going through HomeVisions.com, another Direct Marketing Services 
site, hackers had plundered the database that holds account information 
for all the company's retail properties.

Milgrom said the company immediately informed its payment processor 
including Visa and MasterCard of the hacker breach. The company then 
responded to security measures which included a report to the U.S. 
Secret Service.

Retailers that fail to comply with proper security measures can be hit 
with fines or be sued by affected customers.

Milgrom said Direct Marketing Services now plans to contact consumers.

The online hack was unknown until June when Affinion Group Inc.'s 
CardCops, a group of investigators who track payment-card theft for 
financial institutions, were CardCops spotted hackers touting the sale 
of 200,000 payment cards belonging to one merchant.

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