IEEE Notifies Members About Credit Card Breach

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has notified over 800 members that their credit card details might have been exposed during a network intrusion.

The data breach incident was disclosed in a letter [pdf] sent by IEEE's counsel to the New Hampshire Attorney General, as required by state laws.

It reveals that back in December 2010, the institute discovered an intrusion into a database housing sensitive information including credit card details of its customers.

A forensic investigation performed by contracted specialists concluded that a file containing card numbers, expiration dates and security codes for 828 individuals was deleted.

They were unable to determine if this file was copied by attackers prior to its deletion, but so far there have been no reports of fraudulent charges on those cards.

Of course, this is not an indication the information wasn't compromised either. One of the methods used by credit card fraudsters in recent times is to wait a long time before misusing card details.

This makes it harder for law enforcement agencies and banks to track down the origin of the compromise and suspend all cards used there.

IEEE also notes that vulnerabilities were identified in its system and were fixed in order to prevent compromise in the future. Law enforcement agencies have been notified of the incident.

The IEEE sent data breach notification letters to all affected individuals advising them to monitor their credit card statements and immediately notify their bank of fraudulent activity.

Cardholders can also opt for a free one-year identity theft protection subscription from LifeLock and can place a fraud alert on their credit file with any of the three credit reporting agencies.

Based in Piscataway, New Jersey, IEEE describes itself as being the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. It has an estimated 400,000 members globally.