PayGate confirms security breach
Online payment service provider PayGate has confirmed that its systems were breached in August this year and that some credit card numbers may have been exposed.
It follows an admission on Friday (9 November) by the Payments Association of SA (Pasa) that private credit card and banking details were leaked during a breach at a company which processes online transactions.
Pasa CEO Walter Volker confirmed on Monday (12 November), that the company in question was PayGate, but added that there was no need for undue concern by cardholders.
“We detected unauthorised activity on our servers in August and immediately took action to secure our systems and protect our customers,” said PayGate MD Peter Harvey.
“We have completed a detailed forensic investigation and worked closely throughout with the card associations and international security experts. At this stage we believe that the breach was confined to August this year.”
Harvey said that, while some credit card details may have been exposed, “the card associations and banks are pro-actively monitoring all credit cards processed during this period and will contact cardholders directly if necessary”.
“The card associations have strong measures in place to protect their customers. But we do encourage everyone to check their monthly statements carefully, as a matter of habit, and to report any suspicious transactions to their bank immediately.”
Harvey stressed that PayGate did not store any personal details like addresses or ID numbers, although it does store email addresses. “As always, customers should be vigilant for phishing attacks.”
Online retailers have been largely unaffected by the incident, Harvey said, “but we are working closely with banks, the card associations and international security experts to ensure all the loops have been closed. We’ve introduced several enhanced security features to protect both our merchants and their customers.”
“Our Payment Card Industry (PCI) assessment company has conducted a detailed electronic scan of our systems and we have passed all these tests. We’re grateful to all our partners and clients for their co-operation and understanding during the process of upgrading our security,” the MD said.
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