With the advancement in technology comes the advancement in ways to hack. In this day and age, it might be a better idea to start paying in cash. On Saturday, January 11, Neiman Marcus informed customers they could be at risk of credit and debit theft after one of the servers was broken into. Customers’ payment information was stolen, making it possible for the hackers to use the cards in any way they please.
Just a few months ago around Black Friday, Target reported having a similar problem, which ended up affecting at least 100 million customers if not more. However, it is still unknown if both data breaches are connected. Neiman Marcus has yet to reveal if any other of its retail chains experienced the same issue. This could include Bergdorf Goodman, Cusp, Horchow, and Last Call. The company recently took to Twitter to apologize, which stated “The security of our customers’ information.
Hacking and data breaching started to grow more frequent in 2013, and unfortunately, will continue to become more popular in 2014 and beyond. Consumers especially need to be cautious around the holidays, which is when most of the attacks occur. Neiman Marcus is currently working with the Secret Service to find out more on the issue, such as the cause and size of the attack.
Unfortunately, the Target incident affected at least one fourth of the American population. It’s becoming a huge problem that needs to be fixed. Even though Neiman Marcus’ damage was smaller than Target’s, both companies and every other retail business needs to start thinking of ways to secure payment information better. Shoppers expect to buy one simple thing and can end up with no money at all in a matter of a few days.
This doesn’t mean credit or debit cards should never be used again. They’re much more convenient than cash or checks. However, people should try to limit spending with cards, especially around popular holiday shopping seasons. Those are time periods when hackers tend to strike most often. This also doesn’t mean people should never shop at Target or Neiman Marcus ever again. It’s a harsh reality, but hackers are able to breach any data system from any store they please. Hopefully, retail businesses will strive to find safer, more secure ways to keep customer payments private.