Our predictability is our vulnerability; hackers are unpredictable, and that is their asset. Instead, we need to be less predictable, and deny hackers their unpredictability. Unpredictability is a more powerful cyber weapon than the array of expensive—and predictable—defenses you now rely on. Unpredictability is not an all-or-nothing solution. It is …

Payment processor First Data Corp.’s Star debit network is poised to aggressively challenge Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. for a share of the signature-debit market. That’s a business the global networks have dominated since signature debit became a payment option more than 20 years ago. Star gained a potentially big …

Equifax Inc. disclosed Wednesday that it has entered into a consent order with eight states that requires it to improve its data-protection practices in the wake of the huge data breach last year at the national credit-reporting agency. The breach compromised personal data on approximately 148 million consumers, including Social …

Payment processor First Data Corp.’s Star debit network is poised to aggressively challenge Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. for a share of the signature-debit market that the global networks have dominated since signature debit became a payment option more than 20 years ago. Star gained a potentially big foothold in …

  Despite absolute agreement on the need for heightened payment and data security, there remains a lot of confusion and uncertainty among those tasked with ensuring and implementing it. With so many different technical terms out there, it’s easy to understand why this uncertainty occurs. Technologies such as P2PE (point-to-point …

Several national merchant trade groups and PIN-debit networks have founded an advocacy group meant to give them a bigger role in the development of electronic-payment security standards. Founding members of the new Secure Payments Partnership include the Food Marketing Institute, National Retail Federation, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Grocers …

JPMorgan Chase Bank and its merchant-acquiring affiliate Paymentech have filed a breach-of-contract suit against restaurant operator and Paymentech merchant Landry’s Inc. seeking to recover $20 million in fines from Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. stemming from a 2014-15 data breach at dozens of Landry’s properties. The bank and processor, collectively called …

Processing giant First Data Corp. said on Monday Walmart Inc. has added Star signature debit acceptance to its roster of payment options. The company also noted that its integrated payments business continues to grow. Both observations came during the Atlanta-based company’s first-quarter earnings call with equity analysts. For the quarter, …

Data breaches at restaurants and hotels are nothing new, but a just-out report from Verizon Communications Inc. shows how extensively the hospitality industry gets hit by hackers. New York City-based Verizon, which besides telecommunications has a large business in investigating data breaches, says in its latest annual breach study that …

Count Best Buy Co. Inc. as another unwilling member of the [24]7.ai Inc. breach that has yielded customer payment information already from Sears Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. In a statement released Thursday, Best Buy disclosed that an unspecified number of customers were affected when the online chat …