Retail, Grocery, And Hospitality IT News For VARs — November 3, 2014
By Phillip Britt, contributing writer
In the news, cyberattack activity has increased just before the holiday shopping season, and the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center now has more than 100 members.
Hackers Increase Attacks
According to NBC News, hackers are stepping up their malware attacks just prior to the holiday season. Security firm Damballa reported that infection of the BackOff malware increased 27 percent in September, with further increases expected as the holiday season comes closer. The Target breach, resulting in the theft of 40 million credit card and debit card records, occurred two days before Black Friday last year.
Retailers Collaborate On Security
While retailers battle fiercely over sales, customer acquisition, and customer retention, they are working together by sharing intelligence in an attempt to thwart hackers, Dark Reading reports. The Retail Industry Leaders Association formed the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC) earlier this year and now has more than 100 members. The center provides education, training and detailed threat information. It shares the threat information not only with center participants, but also with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI.
Heartland Acquires TouchNet, Reports Growth
Heartland Payment Systems reported that its adjusted earnings per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 rose to $0.68, while adjusted net income rose to $24.89 million, compared to $.066 and $25.1 million, respectively, for the comparable year ago period. The company credited the acquisition of TouchNet, which closed during the quarter for contributing to the earnings and revenue increases.
Retail, Grocery, And Hospitality IT Talking Points
CVS and Rite-Aid made the move to disable Apple Pay in their stores in an effort to patronize another mobile payment method not quite ready for launch developed by Merchant Consumer Exchange (MCX) according to the New York Times. This new payment method developed by MCX will track a customer’s shopping choices in conjunction with all the merchants that use MCX’s platform.
CNN reports that the hospitality industry is aggressively combatting negative peer reviews through close monitoring and careful responses to negative reviewers. The peer reviews are quickly replacing the older star-rating system in helping customers determine which hospitality companies to patronize. The online reviews also help point out the strengths and weaknesses of hospitality firms and their competitors.
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