How would you feel if one of your restaurants was hacked into? Or, as a consumer, would you ever go back to a restaurant where your credit card information was stolen?

In September of last year, two Romanian hackers pleaded guilty to hacking the POS system of more than 150 Subways and 50 other fast food restaurants. They stole credit card information from more than 146,000 customers and losses amounted to $10 million. Hackers also attacked 63 Barnes & Noble stores nationwide in the same month, breaking into keypads where customers swipe their credit cards and enter their personal identification numbers (PINs).

QSR magazine’s December issue cites that cyber crimes are on the rise nationally. Further, Verizon’s 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report says more than half of all worldwide data breaches in 2011 occurred in the food and hospitality industries. And recently, the Dexter Malware virus made news for targeting traditional PC-based POS systems, automatic teller machines (ATMs), and kiosks. It remains without a root cause.

Rest assured, your ShopKeep POS system ensures several layers of security to protect sensitive data. First, we encrypt credit card information right when you swipe. Our swiper key allows only ShopKeep POS to use it, preventing a Barnes and Noble type hack. Customer credit card info is never stored on the iPad or in your office either so it can’t get into the hands of unauthorized users.

Plus, since only PC-based POS systems are vulnerable to Dexter type viruses, your cloud-based iPad POS remains unaffected. ShopKeep POS is all about empowering your business with a simple, affordable and secure solution to help you make smarter business decisions.

Not a ShopKeep POS merchant yet? Call us today at 1.800.820.9814 to get started!

 

Richard Berger

Richard Berger

Richard Berger translates his years of experience in the startup & small business world into helpful advice for small business owners. As Director of Product Marketing at ShopKeep, the #1-rated iPad Point of Sale System, Richard has an unmatched understanding of POS system technology, and how it can be used to transform growing businesses.