Money, More Than Politics, Driving Retailer Cyberattacks

Despite discovery of hidden anti-U.S. messages in malware, cash remains the prime motivator to attack U.S. retailers.

September 15, 2014

WASHINGTON – While security researchers say they've uncovered links to commentary that accuses the United States of fomenting unrest around the world buried in the code of the malware believed to have been used in a string of data breaches at U.S. retail stores over the past year — including the most recent Home Depot breach — the key motivator most likely remains cold, hard cash, says the Washington Post.

In many of the recent retail breaches, hackers appear to have hidden out in retail systems for weeks or sometimes even months, quietly exporting payment card information that eventually made its way onto sites that sell breached data. The criminal enterprises created around the supply chain for stolen financial information are run like a business organization and are largely controlled within online Russian-language forums.

According to experts quoted in the Washington Post article, it’s possible that the groups organizing a breach for financial reasons may not even be aware of the hidden anti-American messages within the malware programs.

And many experts agree that financial gain is the driver of most cyberattacks, not politically driven cyberterrorism. That said, it’s likely that those who participate in cyberattacks may have certain political sentiments that carry over into their efforts.

According to experts, a primary reason U.S. retailers could look like juicy targets to cybercriminals is that stores tend to process a huge number of transactions, typically using magnetic strip credit cards that are less secure than the pin and chip models used in other parts of the world.

Earlier this week, the Merchant Financial Cyber Partnership, of which NACS is a partner, hosted its 2014 Merchant-Financial Services Cybersecurity Summit, in Washington, D.C.  Read more about the event, here.

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