<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000"><a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-01/sears-announces-kmart-malware-attack-says-emv-chip-payment-system-prevented-large-sc">http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-01/sears-announces-kmart-malware-attack-says-emv-chip-payment-system-prevented-large-sc</a><br><br><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif">Five days after Chipotle, Inc. announced a </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://ibankcoin.com/zeropointnow/2017/05/27/chipotle-hacked-in-massive-breach-customer-payment-data-stolen-from-thousands-of-restaurants-cmg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">massive malware attack</a></span><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"> resulted in widespread theft of customer payment data, Kmart parent company Sears ($</span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SHLD?p=SHLD" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">SHLD</a><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif">) revealed that several Kmart locations had been similarly infested with malware. While the </span><a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-23/sears-enters-death-spiral-vendors-halt-shipments-insurers-bail" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">beleagured company</a><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"> disclosed that "certain credit card numbers" were compromised, it appears the majority of customers were </span><a href="https://ibankcoin.com/zeropointnow/files/2017/06/nomonitoring.png" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">unaffected</a><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"> -  which the company says is thanks to their decision upgrade all Kmart locations to EMV "</span><a href="https://ibankcoin.com/zeropointnow/files/2017/06/emv_chip.png" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">smart chip</a><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif">" credit and debit card Point-of-sale (POS) machines.</span><br></font><div><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"><font color="#000000"><br></font></span></div><div><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif">This is in stark contrast to a 2014 </span><a href="https://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/10/malware-based-credit-card-breach-at-kmart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">malware attack</a><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"> on Kmart's older magnetic swipe Point of Sale system which resulted in the theft of customer data - allowing thieves to create counterfeit cards, according to Sears spokesman Chris Brathwaite.</span><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></font></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif"><font color="#000000"><br></font></span></div><div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">Kmart <a href="http://download.sears.com/perf/pdf/01_PRIVILEGED%20AND%20CONFIDENTIAL%20FAQ_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">has issued a FAQ</a> regarding the hack.</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">While Kmart looks to have dodged a bullet, Chipotle is still using magnetic POS machines</font></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">Chipotle ($<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CMG/?p=CMG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">CMG</a>) declined to upgrade to the newer EMV chip reading equipment in 2015 – citing inefficiencies and concerns over delays in the authentication process in a fast paced food service environment.</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">The breach could mean big trouble for shares of Chipotle, which have only partially recovered from an E.coli outbreak in late 2015. According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chipotle-cyber-idUSKBN18M2BY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">Reuters</a>, security analysts say the company will likely face a fine based on the size of the breach and number of records compromised.</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">Who knows, maybe the <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monsanto-wont-take-gmo-free-chipotle-news-sitting-down/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">GMO-refusing</a> burrito merchants carry separate <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-28/cyberliability-insurance-for-when-your-business-gets-hacked" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">cyberliability insurance? </a></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">In 2015 the credit card industry shifted liability to those who haven't upgraded to EMV systems</font></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000">Per <a href="http://gizmodo.com/the-gizmodo-guide-to-the-new-emv-chip-credit-card-payme-1734011799" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">Gizmodo</a>...</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">If stores accept EVM payments, the credit card companies still accept liability for counterfeit fraud</span>. That’s true even if the store accepts EMV payments, but also accepts magnetic stripe payments, and one of those magnetic stripe payments turns out to be fraudulent. The technical wording from Visa is, “<span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">The party that has made investment in EMV deployment is protected from financial liability for card-present counterfeit fraud losses on this date.</span> If neither or both parties are EMV compliant, the fraud liability remains the same as it is today."<br></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">While EMV payment systems don't prevent over-the-phone credit card fraud, MasterCard said overall fraud had dropped </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">54%</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"> year-over-year in </span><a href="http://www.pymnts.com/news/emv/2016/mastercard-fraud-costs-emv-impact/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">January of 2016</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">. That's significant.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#000000"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">As the banking industry shifts towards convenient and safe digital payment systems and a </span><a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-16/war-cash-intensifies-citibank-stop-accepting-cash-some-branches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">cashless society</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">, enjoy the </span><a href="https://ibankcoin.com/zeropointnow/files/2017/06/abb6b6b85ee1c2d28a00b41403f86a8d.jpg" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.2;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-wrap:break-word;text-decoration-line:none">smell of paper</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"> fiat currency while it's still around. Then go hang out with your gold and silver collection.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.25em 0px 0.75em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:13px;line-height:1.3;font-family:lucida_granderegular,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></p></div></div>