The breaching of POS systems has been really interesting this year. Between Landry’s and Wendy’s, it is increasingly more evident that small breaches are trending. They are more difficult to detect because of the small footprint that they leave. Updates about the Wendy’s breach have surfaced and there are few interesting factors I wanted to share. It was disclosed that less than 5 percent of Wendy’s restaurants were affected. In a press release, Wendy’s said, “Based on the preliminary findings of the investigation and other information, the Company believes that malware, installed through the use of compromised third-party vendor credentials, affected one particular point of sale system at fewer than 300 of approximately 5,500 franchised North America Wendy’s restaurants, starting in the fall of 2015”. Wendy’s hired cyber-security experts to investigate the unusual credit card activity at its restaurants and final reports of the investigation are expected in the coming weeks.
I wanted to touch back on this subject because it amplifies my belief in cash as payment. While we are all scared of losing our hard earned dollars and enjoy the convenience of a plastic card, in many cases it is beneficial to use cash. I try to use them for small purchases especially at small retailers and when I pump gas. I think we often forget that it costs retailers money for us to use cards. Happy purchasing everyone!