United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) said in a statement yesterday that 51 locations in 24 states, or about 1% of the 4,470 franchise stores across the the United States have been hit with a credit card information malware meant to pinch customer data.
Credit card information of all users who used their credit or debit card at the 51 UPS store retail outlets between January 20, 2014 and August 11, 2014 may have been compromised due to this “broad-based malware intrusion”. UPS said it recorded more than 105,000 transactions within the period. At most of the locations however, exposure to the malware began after March 26, and it was eliminated from all locations by Aug. 11, according to UPS.
In a statement, President of The UPS Store Tim Davis said “I understand this type of incident can be disruptive and cause frustration. I apologize for any anxiety this may have caused our customers. At The UPS Store, the trust of our customers is of utmost importance. As soon as we became aware of the potential malware intrusion, we deployed extensive resources to quickly address and eliminate this issue.”
UPS hasn’t yet specified how many customers may have been compromised, but if the incursion is anything like that of Target Corp. (TGT), where hackers stole credit card numbers and other personal data from at least 70 million customers, expect some major struggling from the world’s largest shippping company to win back customers.
Shares in the $90 billion market cap company rose 0.54% on Wednesday to close at $98.80. UPS is down fractionally in pre-market trading hours.
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