11/24/2014 – As Hackers Hit Customers, Retailers keep quiet about Security (NPR)

As the holiday buying season approaches, retailers remain open to the same attack — called a “point of sale” attack — that hit Target and Home Depot, security experts say. Those analysts say that retailers have their fingers crossed, hoping they’re not next. And leading companies are keeping very tight-lipped about what, if anything, they’re doing to protect customers.

According to a recent Symantec report, hacks have gotten bigger and more frequent. Cox and other security insiders say that just about every retailer remains open to the exact same attack — a point-of-sale attack that lifts information from credit card readers — that got Target and Home Depot. It’s not clear if or when that’ll change. NPR contacted two dozen of America’s largest retailers — which include Sears, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Dollar General, the TJ Maxx company — and none of them would indicate whether their budget for online security has increased in this last year of megabreaches.

Read the full article at NPR.