hackers plunder millions of credit cards

A rogue computer program installed by hackers has been discovered in the database of Cardsystems Solutions, a payment processing firm based in Arizona. The firm has admitted to backing up thousands of transactions - against proper procedure - which eventually led to an orchard of easy pickings for hackers. On Friday, June 17th, Mastercard issued a statement warning that 13.9 million of its customers are "among those affected." While it seems fairly clear that tens of thousands of cards were likely stolen, it is possible that details from up to 40 million cards may have been looted in all. The precise details remain nebulous, like computer information in general, though in-depth investigations are under way.

source article at newscientist