Criminals gained access to customer payment information.
PHOENIX (AP) _ An Arizona-based supermarket chain says it's been victimized by a cyber attack on the stores' online systems, which provided criminals with access to customer payment information.
Bashas' officials say they recently located and removed a highly-sophisticated piece of malware from its systems. They say victims have been limited to Lake Havasu City and Pinal County, but all customers are being warned to check their credit card and debit card transactions. Forensic specialists and federal law enforcement officials have begun an investigation into the cyber attack to find those responsible.
Bashas' officials say they've installed additional security measures to protect customers' personal information from attacks in the future. The company operates Bashas' supermarkets, AJ's Fine Foods and Food City.
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Statement from Bashas':
We were recently the victim of a cyber attack by highly sophisticated criminals who gained access to parts of our systems to capture payment information. We are cooperating with federal law enforcement officials to undergo a thorough and exhaustive investigation.
Bashas' is and has been compliant with all Payment Card Industry (PCI) security requirements. However, we recently located and removed a highly-sophisticated piece of malware that has never been seen before in the industry. The malware has been identified and contained, and we are working with forensic specialists and federal law enforcement officials in their investigation to find those responsible.
We’ve also installed additional security measures (beyond what is required by the industry) to our point of sale and enterprise systems to further protect our customers’ information from such attacks in the future.
We have fielded some calls about this issue from customers in limited geographic locations. However, we are strongly encouraging all of our customers to closely monitor their debit and credit card transactions and to report any unusual activity.
I just sent this information to all of our stores letting them know that they need to post this update at every register. We sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may cause, and if they have any additional questions, we ask that they contact our Customer Service Department at 480-883-6131.
This is what we know as of now. If/when we learn anything more, we will be sure to share it with you and with our customers.
