FBI Warns Retailers of New Credit Card Malware

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Free Beacon:

A recent cyber attack against a restaurant chain’s credit card system prompted the FBI to issue a warning last week that criminal hackers are using new malicious software to steal personal financial data.

 

An internal FBI cyber alert sent to U.S. companies Wednesday states that Bureau cyber investigators have identified software signatures used in a new point-of-sale malware called “Punkey,” after the 1980s sitcom character Punky Brewster.

 

“Cybercriminals continue to deploy point-of-sale (PoS) malware due to the number of targets connected to the Internet and large potential profits,” says the FBI alert, known as a FLASH notice.

 

“In the past year, there has been an increase in restaurants, casinos, hotels, and resorts targeted by PoS malware. Cybercriminals infect victim networks to extract credit card information and quickly monetize it within cybercriminal forums.”

 

The notice, required as part of the FBI’s legal requirement to notify victims of cyber attacks, states that investigators have “high confidence” that the new malware was used in “a recent network intrusion against a restaurant chain” that was not identified by name.

 

The FBI said its investigation into the use of Punkey against the restaurant chain is ongoing.