Chick-Fil-A Announces Possible Data Breach
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Atlanta-based firm confirms that it is investigating reports of unusual payment card activity
Chick-fil-A Inc. has confirmed that it is currently investigating a possible data breach involving potential usual activity involving payment cards used at some of its restaurants.
The initial report came on December 19, from payment industry contacts, according to the Atlanta-based chain.
“We launched an investigation and are working with leading IT security firms, law enforcement, and our payment industry contacts to understand all of the facts,” company officials said on the Chick-Fil-A website.
The scope of the suspected breach is not yet known, and the company stated “We are investigating reports of potential unusual activity involving payment cards used at a few of our restaurants.” It appears to be “limited suspicious payment card activity” that originated from payment cards used at “a few” Chick-fil-A restaurants.
According to a Krebs on Security report from Dec. 30,"sources at several U.S. financial institutions say they have traced a pattern of credit card fraud back to accounts that all were used at different Chick-fil-A fast food restaurants around the country."
Brian Krebs, founder of the KrebsOnSecurity.com website, reported he “first began hearing from banks about possible compromised payment systems at Chick-fil-A establishments in November, but the reports were spotty at best.”
One bank said it had nearly 9,000 customer cards listed in an alert that was sent to several financial institutions about a breach at an unnamed retailer that lasted between Dec. 2, 2013, and Sept. 30, 2014, according to Krebs on Security, and that the only common point-of-purchase were Chick-fil-A locations. One banking source told Krebs, “the bulk of the fraud seemed concentrated at locations in Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.”
Krebs speculated that the affected Chick-fil-A restaurants were most likely franchised locations that outsourced point-of-sale system management to third-party companies.
There are 1,850 Chick-fil-A locations across 41 states and Washington, D.C.