Mark's Notebook


	If Jesus Christ were to come today, people would not even crucify him. They would ask him to dinner, and hear what he had to say, and make fun of him. - Thomas Carlyle

Hackers Break Into Computer-Security Firm's Customer Database

Washington Post

Tuesday 20 December 2005, 4:34 pm
Keywords: Computer Topics , News Articles

By Brian Krebs, Washington Post Staff Writer

Guidance Software -- the leading provider of software used to diagnose hacker break-ins -- has itself been hacked, resulting in the exposure of financial and personal data connected to thousands of customers.

Hackers broke into a company database and made off with approximately 3,800 customer credit card numbers. The Pasadena, Calif.-based company said the incident occurred sometime in November.

Guidance stored customer records in unencrypted databases, and indefinitely retained customers' "card value verification" (CVV) numbers, the three-digit codes on the back of credit cards that are meant to protect against fraud in online and telephone sales, according to Colbert and the notification letter sent to customers.

Merchant guidelines published by both Visa and Mastercard require sellers to encrypt customer credit-card databases. They are also prohibited from retaining CVV numbers for any longer than it takes to verify a given transaction. Companies that violate those standards can be fined $500,000 per violation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/19/AR2005121900928.
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