VeriFone Probing Security Breach

(RTTNews) - Credit and debit card payments giant Verifone is investigating a breach of its internal computer networks, Krebs on Security said in a blog post. The breach is said to have impacted a number of companies running its point-of-sale solutions.

Verifone spokesman reportedly said that the company saw evidence of an intrusion in a limited portion of its internal network in January 2017. The extent of the breach was limited to its corporate network, while payment services network was not impacted.

On January 23, Verifone sent an urgent email to all its staff and contractors, asking them to change all company passwords within 24 hours.

In the email memo, Verifone senior vice president and chief information officer Steve Horan said, "We are currently investigating an IT control matter in the Verifone environment. As a precaution, we are taking immediate steps to improve our controls."

Along with the required password change, the company also said it will apply limitations to end user capabilities on desktops/ laptops. The company informed employees they would no longer be allowed to load any additional software on these devices.

As per the report, Verifone sent out the email in response to a notification from Mastercard and Visa of the potential intrusion.

San Jose, California-based Verifone is the largest maker of credit card terminals used in the United States. The company now operates in more than 150 countries worldwide and employ nearly 5,000 people globally.