FBI warns retailers of more cyber attacks

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned US retailers they may face further cyberattacks after detecting 20 hacking cases in the past year that used the same malicious software that was deployed against Target over the Thanksgiving shopping season.

The agency cautioned retailers about the risks posed by “memory-parsing” malware that can compromise card swiping machines and other point of sales systems. We believe POS malware crime will continue to grow over the near term, despite law enforcement and security firms’ actions to mitigate it,” the January 17 report entitled “Recent Cyber Intrusion Events Directed Toward Retail Firms” said. The accessibility of the malware on underground forums, the affordability of the software and the huge potential profits to be made from retail POS systems in the US make this type of financially motivated cyber crime attractive to a wide range of actors,” the FBI added.