Polo confirms data security problem

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. has identified itself as the U.S. retailer at the center of a scare over stolen customer data.

The company said late Thursday that some of its customers’ credit card information may have been “misappropriated.”

Polo Ralph Lauren was informed in late 2004 that the credit card information of some of its customers may have been retained and stored on its point-of-sale software, it said in a statement. This information could have been compromised for credit card fraud, it said.

The retailer’s confirmation came on the heels of news reports Thursday that HSBC Holdings PLC sent letters to over 180,000 credit card customers warning them that their information may have been stolen from a U.S. retailer’s systems.

Polo Ralph Lauren said that it worked with credit card companies and law enforcement officials to determine the origin and extent of the compromise and that it has taken appropriate steps to purge the information and cure the problem.

“The company is confident that its credit card system is secure and that our customer’s credit card information is properly protected,” the retailer said.

While the incident is not one of the growing cases of identity theft, it may do little to shore up consumers’ confidence.

According to research by information security company Vontu Inc., 95 percent of data security risk comes from faulty business processes and untrained users.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now