Data-sniffing attack costs Heartland $12.6m

From The Register (Dan Goodin)

Electronic payments processor Heartland Payment Systems said Thursday it has allocated $12.6m to cover a security breach that exposed sensitive card holder data crossing its network.

More than half that amount involves a fine MasterCard has assessed banks that did business with Heartland, said company CEO Robert Carr, according to this conference-call transcript [seekingalpha.com]. The remainder covers legal costs and other expenses related to the breach, which was discovered in January. Read the full story [theregister.co.uk]