Hackers face loyalty card treasure trove
Security experts have called for Australian organisations to update their security and privacy policies as they invite customers to access more loyalty card services online.
Loyalty programs run by the likes of Coles, Woolworths, FlyBuys and Qantas could be a treasure trove for cyber criminals looking to misuse personal details such as name, address, date of birth and transactional history.
Once upon a time, such customer data was held on big mainframes in locked rooms and only a few people had access. But according to Paul Ducklin, head of technology at IT security firm Sophos, databases now were open to more users, due to the trend to allow access to loyalty programs online.
