Kmart card data hacked
NEW YORK – Sears Holdings Corp. said Friday that a data breach at its Kmart stores that started last month may have compromised some customers’ credit and debit cards.
Sears Holdings, which also operates Sears stores, was unable to provide the number of affected cards. But it said that based on its investigation so far, it believes no personal information, debit card PIN numbers, email addresses or Social Security numbers were obtained by the hackers. And there’s no evidence that Kmart.com shoppers were affected. It said Kmart was able to remove the malicious software from its systems.
The company said it will be providing free credit-monitoring protection for customers who shopped with a credit or debit card at Kmart stores during the month of September and through Thursday. It also emphasized that customers have no liability for unauthorized charges if they report them in a timely manner, according to the policies of most credit card companies. Sears said customers can contact its customer care center at (888) 488-5978.
• Dairy Queen said that its payment systems were breached by hackers who may have gained access to customer names, credit and debit card numbers and expiration dates.
The food chain said 395 of its stores around the country were affected. The data breach happened between August and September.
Dairy Queen said there’s no evidence Social Security numbers, personal identification numbers or email addresses were accessed. The company is offering customers free identity repair services.
Nielsen reports ratings glitch
NEW YORK – The Nielsen company said Friday it has discovered errors in its measurement of television viewing that incorrectly showed people were watching one network when in fact they were tuned in to another.
The company said it is investigating a software error that has been producing faulty data since March, but only became apparent in the past few weeks as viewership increased with the beginning of the new fall season.
Nielsen would not comment on who benefited or was hurt by the errors. But it appears ABC was the beneficiary; in the past few weeks the network saw repeated, unexplained gains between early morning, preliminary viewership estimates and more complete national data that becomes available later.
Nielsen’s measurements affect billions of dollars in advertising spending.
Nissan, Mitsubishi issue recalls
DETROIT – Nissan is recalling more than 238,000 Altima midsize cars worldwide because a secondary latch can fail and allow the hoods to fly open while the cars are in motion.
Only Altimas from the 2013 model year are covered by the recall, so far, but Nissan is investigating whether other models could be involved, according to documents posted Friday by U.S. safety regulators. It appears the problem is limited to Altimas, but Nissan is checking other latches with similar designs, spokesman Steve Yaeger said.
• Mitsubishi is recalling nearly 166,000 older small cars and SUVs in the U.S. because the engines can stall unexpectedly.
The recall covers the Lancer and Lancer Evolution from the 2008 to 2011 model years, as well as the Lancer Sportback from 2009 to 2011. Also affected are the Outlander small SUV from 2008 to 2011 and the Outlander Sport from the 2011 model year. All the cars have the company’s 4B1 2-liter turbocharged engine.
The company says in documents posted by safety regulators that pulleys can experience unusual wear and damage the drive belt. The belt can detach and the battery won’t be charged, and that can cause stalling. The problem also can disable power steering.