SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Credit-card terminal supplier Verifone Inc. found evidence of a “very limited cyber intrusion into [its] corporate network” in January 2017, spokesperson Andy Payment confirmed for CSP Daily News.
“According to third-party forensic teams, this cyber attempt was limited to approximately two dozen U.S. gas station convenience stores and occurred over a short time period,” Payment said. “No other merchants were targeted, and the integrity of our payment networks and Verifone’s payment terminals remained secure and fully operational.”
Payment also said that Verifone “proactively notified Visa, MasterCard and other credit-card [companies]” once it identified the threat. “There have been no adverse events or misuse of any data resulting from this incident,” he said, and that it is the company’s belief that its “immediate response and coordination with partners and agencies has made the potential for misuse of information extremely limited.”
An internal memo shared Jan. 23, 2017, instructed employees to immediately change their work passwords and announced that employees would no longer be able to install software on company computers except through the company's IT department.
KrebsOnSecurity.com, an online source for security news, reported that Verifone shared evidence with Visa and MasterCard suggesting that a Russian hacking group targeting payment providers and hospitality companies had gained access to some of Verifone’s internal network. It also raised the possibility that the hackers could have had access to Verifone’s systems since mid-2016.
Verifone did not respond to CSP Daily News' request to clarify reports of alleged Russian involvement.
San Jose, Calif.-based Verifone, one of the largest makers of credit-card terminals in the United States, has approximately 30 million devices and terminals deployed, with operations in more than 150 countries.
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