Costco, CVS, And Wal-Mart Canada Investigate Possible Data Breaches

On Friday, CVS and Wal-mart Canada announced investigations into possible data breaches at their photo centers. On Monday, Costco announced a similar investigation about a possible data breach. Costco has also suspended operations of its photo centers. The number of credit card customers affected is unknown at all three retailers.

The outsourcing vendor involved is PNI Digital Media, with offices in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) and England. According to its website, PNI Digital Media operates 19,000 retail locations and 8,000 in-store kiosks. The New York Times reported:

"... the breaches highlighted the importance of more rigorously vetting I.T. vendors at a time when companies outsource more and more of their technology operations. Vendors have often proved to be the weakest link..."

Staples acquired PNI Digital Media in July, 2014. At press time, the vendor's latest tweet was May 20, two months ago. That tweet announced that hiring was underway for several positions, including front and back-end developers.

Until the retailers announce more about their breaches, experts advise customers of the above retail stores to closely monitor their bank and card statements for fraudulent charges.