Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Chick-fil-A May Be the Latest Retail Data Breach Victim

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    January 5, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      retail security

      Fast food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A could well be the first retail breach to be publicly confirmed in 2015. Chick-fil-A released a public statement on Jan. 2, confirming that it is investigating a possible data breach at its restaurants.

      While Chick-fil-A’s statement was issued on Jan. 2, the company admitted that it received a report about a potential breach on Dec. 19. After the report was received, Chick-fil-A indicated that it launched an investigation to determine what had occurred.

      “The initial report was of potential suspicious activity involving payment cards at a few restaurants,” Chick-fil-A stated. “Our investigation is ongoing and we will update as we are able to do so.”

      Chick-fil-A reported 2013 sales of more than $5 billion and has over 1,850 locations, including both stand-alone restaurants and mall locations. Though Chick-fil-A is not currently providing any details on how many of its locations were affected and when the breach occurred, there is some speculation that the breach is extensive.

      According to a report in KrebsonSecurity, the breach lasted from Dec.2, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014, and may have affected as many as 9,000 credit cards.

      While Chick-fil-A is not yet providing details on the actual breach, the company is emphasizing that if a breach is confirmed, customers will be not be responsible for fraudulent charges.

      “Any fraudulent charges will be the responsibility of either Chick-fil-A or the bank that issued the card,” Chick-fil-A stated. “We will arrange for free identity-protection services, including credit monitoring, to any impacted customer.”

      Chick-fil-A now joins a number of well-known retailers and restaurant chains on the list of companies that experienced data breaches in 2014. On June 12, Chinese food restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s confirmed that it had been the victim of a data breach. As a result of the breach, P.F.Chang’s temporarily suspended its use of electronic point-of-sale (POS) credit card terminals and instead reverted to using manual credit card imprints.

      Restaurant chain Jimmy John’s disclosed a breach on Sept. 24 that affected 216 of its restaurant locations. Dairy Queen confirmed a data breach on Oct. 9 that impacted 395 of its stores. In both the Dairy Queen and Jimmy John’s breaches, third-party payment processing vendors were blamed.

      In the Dairy Queen incident, the notorious Backoff malware family was identified as being used by the attackers. The U.S. Secret Service first issued a public alert about Backoff in August, warning that the malware had affected more than 1,000 retailers.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×