credit card

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says an Internet firm claiming it collected only shopper opinions about the products they bought was actually collecting personal data. The firm, Compete, is negotiating a court-approved settlement of the charges. ... So far, the punishment the company will face has not been publicly revealed. Compete used online ads to recruit customers into its "Consumer Input Panel", telling them they can give their opinions and win prizes. To participate, however, consumers needed to install special tracking software on their computers to monitor what websites they visited. ... (view more)

An international law enforcement effort has taken down 36 websites allegedly responsible for selling stolen credit card information. In Europe, three men were arrested over claims they bought and sold the personal data. The operation was led by the ... United Kingdom's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The two agencies oversaw raids in the UK, US, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine and Australia. Officials say they have been working on the case for two years. The three dozen disabled websites were allegedly offering packages ... (view more)

It appears that Microsoft and its users may be experiencing a security problem potentially as dangerous and devastating as the 2010 debacle that hit Playstation owners. Back then, innocent purchasers of PlayStations were hit by one of the most ... stunning security invasions in recent memory. Millions saw their supposedly-secure account information leaked, including credit card data. The problem ran so deep that Sony felt compelled to offer substantial compensation packages. The current problem may prove just as significant, unless Microsoft changes how it stores sensitive customer information. ... (view more)

Online battles between Saudi and Israeli hackers have moved from credit card hacks to the shutting down of whole websites. The online 'war' began early this month, when a hacker claiming to be from Saudi Arabia published stolen Israeli credit card ... details . The actual location of the hacker, who used the code-name xOmar 0 (and variations, such as OxOmar), remains in dispute, with some experts claiming he is in Mexico. Assertions about the number of compromised credit card accounts also vary from 15,000 to 400,000. Political Leaders Speak Out The credit card attack had political ramifications ... (view more)

Israelis have recently been hit with one of the largest credit card hacks in recent memory. An estimated 20,000 people in that Mid-East nation have found their financial information exposed to web users by an unknown hacker claiming to be from Saudi ... Arabia. Israeli authorities believe the attack, which officials first detected on Tuesday (January 3, 2012), qualifies as cyber-terrorism. Other experts, however, believe it's too early in the hacking cycle to determine exactly what motivated the attack or who, precisely, may have been behind it. (Source: nytimes.com ) Exposed Credit Card Accounts ... (view more)

Valve Corporation, which is behind the major online video game retailer and social networking platform Steam, has been hacked. According to reports, gamer credit cards have been compromised, as well. Steam is a major online gaming platform that ... provides nearly 2,000 games for play by some 35 million users based in 237 countries. Not only can visitors to the site download games, but they can also use the platform to easily organize multiplayer sessions, and can interact with one another through instant messaging. User Database Infiltrated by Hackers Given the massive size of Steam's user base ... (view more)

It's becoming clear just how costly the recent hack of Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) could really be. A recent report suggests the debacle could cost Sony Corporation about $1.5 billion, with credit card lenders about $300 million in the hole. ... "It's not insignificant," said Keefe, Bruyette ... (view more)

Yesterday we reported on the hacking of Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN), an online gaming platform for the company's PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. The hack affects 77 million user and has left the PlayStation network paralyzed. When the security ... breach was first announced, Sony remained quiet on the extent of the damage. New details are starting to emerge, with the tech company admitting that some of the personal data available to the hackers was in no way encrypted. This means that data thieves can do as they please with the information they've stolen from the electronics giant. Doubts ... (view more)

Sony on Tuesday admitted that a hacker has successfully infiltrated its PlayStation Network (PSN) online gaming platform and obtained customer data, including credit card information. Nearly 77 million people around the world have PlayStation ... Network accounts, which are used in conjunction with Sony's popular PlayStation 3 video game console. PSN allows gamers to download movies, chat with friends, and play games with PlayStation gamers through an Internet connection. PlayStation Network Hack Made Between April 17, 19 Sony says it will inform all of its PlayStation Network customers that ... (view more)

Record-breaking hacker Albert Gonzalez has pleaded guilty to the largest credit card heist scheme ever. The 28 year old Miami man recently admitted to hacking various computer networks and swiping millions of credit card numbers. Gonzalez, who ... pleaded guilty to a total of nineteen counts of computer fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft, was not alone in the scheme. He, along with about ten others from across Europe, China, and the United States, had been accused of breaking into computer networks in order to swipe an astounding 130 million credit ... (view more)