fred avolio's musings

If you read any Internet-technology-based news, you know that a recent security breach may have exposed 40 million credit card numbers. The actual number is probably smaller. And I suspect that the so-called “security vulnerabilities in the processor’s systems,” according to MasterCard, will provbably turn out to be well-known vulnerabilities or practices considered less-than-best.

So, what’s a person to do? Do you stop using MasterCard and use Visa? That is hardly practical. But, we can start demanding that credit card companies enforce high security standards with the companies that support them.

Bruce Schneier writes about it in his blog.

The Register’s story is here and InfoWorld does here.

Pete Lindstrom from Spire posted a terrific column on Credit Card Numbers vs. SSNs.

Read Matthew Friedman’s comments and analysis in his securitypipeline column.