Cisco: POS Systems Key Vulnerability in Security Breaches

Cisco security officials say businesses need to strengthen security around POS machines to mitigate breaches like the one that hit Target.

The personal data on the magnetic stripe of payment cards continues to be a prime target for cyber-thieves, whose job is made significantly easier by the vulnerabilities in the point-of-sale machines being used by retailers such as Target, according to security officials at Cisco Systems.

The company's Threat Research, Analysis and Communications (TRAC) team took a look at recent high-profile security breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus and noted that as long as the United States continues to use such magnetic stripe payment cards in everyday transactions, retailers in the country and their customers will be at risk.