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Hackattack Security Breach Cyber Security

Hackers hit US supermarket giant SuperValu in latest cyber crime attack

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By Jessica Davies, News Editor

August 17, 2014 | 4 min read

US supermarket chain SuperValu has become the latest business to be targeted by hackers, making up to 1,000 stores vulnerable to the security breach.

The attack, reported by the retailer on Friday (15 August), targetd the chain’s computer network containing all credit card transaction data.

It is suspected that previous stores including Albertsons, Star Markets and Shaw’s, which were bought from SuperValu in 2013, may have also been targeted as they possess the same computer technology as their previous owner.

The security breach, which occurred between June and July this year, may have resulted in the theft of account numbers, along with cardholders names and expiry dates, from payment cards used at point of sale systems, at the company’s owned and franchised stores, SuperValue said in a statement.

It read: “The company has not determined that any such cardholder data was in fact stolen by the intruder, and it has no evidence of any misuse of any such data, but is making this announcement out of an abundance of caution.”

SuperValu’s president and chief executive Sam Duncan has sought to reassure its customers, adding that the safetry of their personal information is a "top priority" for the chain.

“The intrusion was identified by our internal team, it was quickly contained, and we have had no evidence of any misuse of any customer data. I regret any inconvenience that this may cause our customers but want to assure them that it is safe to shop in our stores,” he said.

The attack marks the latest in a string of security breaches at major businesses including eBay, which had a data breach in which names, email addresses and other personal data, was stolen, which affected up to 145 million eBay customers.

Security experts believe that the attack to SuperValu’s network is yet another example of the increasingly sophisticated methods of hackers.

Eric Chiu, president & co-founder of cloud control company HyTrust, said: “The most recent potential breach at Supervalu following a number of high profile breaches at Target, Neiman Marcus, Michaels Stores, and eBay, underscores that cybercrime is the new heist and every organisation is a target.

“We live in a connected world which is great to enable business at faster speed and larger scale; however, this also means that criminals can leverage these networks to gain access to sensitive data and critical systems without being detected, thereby making the impact of breaches larger.

“The possible Supervalu breach underlines one of the key challenges companies are facing when it comes to security: it takes weeks to months before they even notice they have been breached. It is critical that organisations change their security approach -- it should be top of mind for every organisation today. Companies must assume they have already been breached, and begin looking at policies and technology that can prevent attackers from getting access to sensitive or regulated data, even if the attackers are inside the network.”

Steve Hultquist, chief evangelist at RedSeal Networks, which provides cyber-attack preventative technology, said the attack demonstrates the sophistication of the attackers and the “reward they receive” being worth the investment they make in their attacks.

“These investments mean that enterprises must likewise increase their defensive investments, especially in the analysis of potential attack vectors. Simply reacting while attacks are in progress is insufficient. Each enterprise must know its network security architecture and have automated analysis to ensure that the entire end-to-end network complies with its policies. Not doing so is effectively agreeing to be attacked in unknown ways and having to deal with the impacts of a breach.”

SuperValu is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the US with annual sales of $17bn and a network of 3.320 stores and 35,000 employees.

Hackattack Security Breach Cyber Security

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