PAX POS Cyberattacks: Are Your Payment Terminals Compromised?
First reported by WOKV.com, agents with the FBI and DHS raided the Florida warehouse of PAX Technology. The point of sale technology giant is linked to reports of possible cyberattacks on U.S. and E.U. organizations where the technology is used.
Along with ongoing global computer chip shortages, the timing of the investigation is particularly concerning for retailers and payment processing companies preparing for the holiday season.
FBI Raids PAX, Where POS Devices Are Potentially Compromised
KrebsOnSecurity offered further detail, saying they “heard from a trusted source that the FBI began investigating PAX after a major U.S. payment processor started asking questions about unusual network packets originating from the company’s payment terminals.”
The source revealed that the PAX terminals were being used both as a central location for malicious files (also known as malware “droppers”). This allows payment technology to act as a staging ground for large-scale cyberattacks focused on collecting information such as consumer credit card data.
“FBI and MI5 are conducting an intensive investigation into PAX,” the source said. “A major US payment processor began asking questions about network packets originating from PAX terminals and were not given any good answers.”
Major financial providers (including FIS Worldpay as reported by Bloomberg) have already begun pulling PAX terminals from their payment infrastructure.
FIS Worldpay confirmed that it no longer deploys PAX point-of-sale devices “because it did not receive satisfactory answers from PAX regarding its POS devices connecting to websites not listed in their supplied documentation.”
“While we have no evidence that data running through PAX POS devices has been compromised, we have been working directly with clients to replace those devices with other options at no cost to them and with as little disruption to their business as possible,” FIS Worldpay states. “The spokesperson said fewer than 5% of Worldpay clients currently use PAX point-of-sale devices.”
While specific details about the strange network activity that prompted federal investigators are unknown, the investigation remains active and ongoing.
It’s worth noting that POS terminals and the technology that supports them are often a primary target for malware and criminal attacks.
It is not uncommon for payment terminals to be compromised remotely by malicious software and made to collect and transmit stolen information. Notable point of sale breaches include Heartland Payment Systems (100 million payment cards affected in 2008) as well as the Target and Home Depot thefts of roughly another 100 million credit cards in 2014.
PAX Technology’s Official Response to Cyberattacks
The Shenzhen-based company is quoted in Reuters with the following statement:
“As far as the board is aware … there has neither been any reported cyberattack incidents nor cyber attack complaints, including any breach of security protocols, against PAX products and services anywhere in the world.”
PAX’s statement to the stock exchange in Hong Kong as well as a press release on the company’s blog provide further perspective. Trading of the company’s shares resumed on November 1 after a temporary halt.
At Barcodes, Inc., cybersecurity is our primary concern when we procure and deploy POS technology. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or if you’re interested in replacing your PAX technology.
A POS System for Your Business Needs
When it comes to the Point of Sale market there are a variety of options. Each have their own specific advantages. To better help you decide which POS system is best suited for your business needs here are some options.
Mobile POS
With wireless mobile POS systems your business will have more competitive solutions to surpass their operational constraints. You’ll be able to process payments, manage some inventory, and mange customer information. Pair it with a mobile receipt printer to truly go mobile.
Options:
Tablet POS
Tablets are becoming a popular solution when it comes to point of sale. Tablets come in many sizes and have a wide variety of features. Many have the ability to support hardeware such as tablet stands, barcode readers, cash drawers, tablet barcode scanners or a companion barcode scanners
Options:
POS Terminal System
The Point of Sale Terminal Systems are the most common. These are types most people use at counter in various applications. They include everything you’ll need to get started with POS in your business. There are systems specifically designed for retail, restaurant, bar, grocery, salon, and iPad based. Each system will provide the most efficient and productive POS experience for your business and your customers.
Options:
To learn more about Point of Sale options and applications please click here.
For any questions or a quote on any of your POS needs contact us at Barcodes, Inc.
PAX’s D200 is a Mobile POS for an Emerging Market
Mobile Payment Terminals will be an emerging market in the coming years for retail stores. Consumers want to have the ability to skip the lines and get in and out of stores as quickly as possible especially during the holiday season. With the beautifully designed D200 MPOS you can streamline payments into a unique personal program and you can take all your value-added applications on the D200 to provide a high-tech and user-friendly customer interaction point.
Brought to you by PAX Technology Limited a top global payment terminal solution supplier you know you’ll be getting a quality device. The D200 comes with a 32-bit ARM 11 processor and has a memory capacity of 192MB (128MB Flash and 64MB DDR). The display comes in a size of 2.4 inches with a LCD color screen and a touch-press input along with 10 numeric keys and 5 functional keys. The D200 can integrate with any mobile payment app running on iOS or Android. The D200 was given a special certification called MFi by Apple Inc. Apple has tested and approved the D200 to meet the highest performance standards for integration with any iPad or iPhone.
D200 Features and Benefits:
- Contactless NFC, EMV chip, and magstripe enabled.
- Featuring innovative touch-press key design.
- Stylishly designed for comfort and convenience.
- Large color screen with user friendly interface.
- Large memory capacity.
- Bluetooth, WiFi, GPRS, and cable connectivity.
- USB port for high speed data transmission.
- Versatile Operating System.
- PCI PTS 3.x approved, SRED.
- Secure key embedded area
For any questions or a quote on any of your MPOS needs contact us at Barcodes, Inc.
