UPS Discloses Breach at 51 Stores
United Parcel Service driver Marty Thompson starts his truck up after making a delivery in Cumming, Ga. David Goldman/AP
The Department of Homeland Security said a type of malicious software known as 'Backoff' is likely to blame.
UPS came forward relatively quickly about a payment system hack that was discovered after the retailer received a sectorwide, government-issued alert about a specific form of antivirus-proof infection.
UPS proactively hired a cybersecurity firm to inspect all store systems “upon receiving the bulletin,” company officials said in a statement.
The malicious software in play is believed to be Backoff, a “point-of-sale” infection that scrapes system memory for payment card data and logs keystrokes, according to a July 31 Department of Homeland Security bulletin that was updated Aug. 18.
Customer data that might have been compromised includes names, postal addresses, email addresses and payment card information.
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