What happened during the Macys Data Breach 2019? And how can you protect your data?
What is a data breach?
A data breach is a type of security incident. It shows private and protected information of a system or a person.
Moreover, it may include the following:
- names
- addresses
- card or bank accounts
- trade secrets
Additionally, it happens because of weak security. Criminals can bypass a network and steal the information.
Macys Data Breach 2019
Macy’s, a popular fashion retailer, experienced a breach last October 2019.
It affected the following payment card numbers:
- Visa
- American Express
- Mastercard
The breach exposed the following private customers’ information:
- first and last names
- address
- cities
- states
- ZIP codes
- phone number
- email address
- credit card numbers and security codes
The retailer confirmed the incident that lasted for a week. Also, they informed their customers after one month through a letter.
How the breach happened
Hackers entered into the website’s system. Then, they installed a skimming malware that attacks credit cards.
The hacker got the checkout and wallet page information using the malware.
Reports said that it was a Magecart attack. Magecart is a popular cybercrime group. And they are usually involved in stealing digital credit cards.
Unfortunately, it is hard to fight this type of attack. The JS file is invisible to the customer.
So, the responsibility for preventing this type of attack should come from the retailer itself. It is also important to regularly test and check their website for malicious software and codes.
Moreover, they accessed a website by using malicious JavaScripts. It then steals the shoppers’ data when they enter payment forms on the checkout pages.
Their action
Macys.com successfully removed the malware one week after the attack. Also, they said that they reported it to law enforcement.
Furthermore, macys.com hired a cyber team for help. And they also provided consumer protection services for free to their customers.
They arranged an Experian Identity Works SM. It gives extra protection to its customers for 12 months. With no extra payment.
With this protection, it can help the customer by:
- closing accounts and contacting creditors if the information is exposed
- freezing the credit file if needed
- contact government to help restore identity
Macys also said that they made actions to prevent the same attack from happening again.
The effect
Macys.com did not say how many customers were affected. However, macys.com is a big retail store. So, we can say that it affected thousands of customers.
Besides, the company’s shares fell by nearly 11%. It happened after announcing the news about the breach.
Protect your data
Are you a macys.com shopper? Here’s how you can find out if you were affected.
- Be alert. Stay updated on financial fraud and identity theft incidents.
- Review your account statements. If there is an unusual card transaction, report it to the issuer.
- Ask for help. You can contact your issuer. You can also ask them if your data is exposed. Also, they can suggest steps so you can protect your card account.
