The holiday shopping season is underway but along with good cheer the high-traffic retail period will bring a surge of Cybercrime, warns Carl Mazzanti, President of the leading Managed Services Provider eMazzanti Technologies. “Merchants should work with eMazzanti professionals to strengthen their point-of-sale (POS) security measures immediately,” he says. “This will protect customer data and avoid costly breaches.”
The holiday season is prime time for nation-state and other bad actors who target retail payment systems, details Mazzanti. “Increased transaction volumes create more opportunities for attackers, making it critical for retailers to ensure their defenses are robust before Black Friday and the rush that follows.”
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Some high-profile attacks underscore the vulnerability of POS systems. Forever 21 experienced a breach that gave hackers access to customer payment card data for up to seven months, while Wendy’s faced a compromise affecting POS systems at over 1,000 locations—ultimately settling for a reported $50 million.
“POS breaches are more than a nuisance,” Mazzanti cautions. “They can damage a retailer’s brand, erode consumer trust, and lead to significant monetary costs. With holiday sales accounting for a substantial portion of annual revenue, taking proactive steps now can save a lot of grief later.”
Trained eMazzanti specialists can help retailers to implement network segmentation, running POS systems on separate, protected subnets isolated from email and other applications. Additional critical defenses include encryption of sensitive data, firewall protection, intrusion prevention systems, and strict application whitelisting policies.
“Outdated software is also a leading cause of security vulnerabilities,” Mazzanti says. “Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for weaknesses, and outdated systems are prime targets during the busiest shopping weeks of the year. We can help retailers to implement automated software patching, which ensures that fixes to protect sensitive customer data and keep transactions safe are downloaded in a timely, accurate manner.”
Beyond technical safeguards, Mazzanti emphasizes the importance of strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and PCI DSS compliance. Employee training also plays a vital role, he notes, particularly during the holiday season when retailers often bring on temporary staff.
“Retailers handle many credit card transactions during the holidays, making them a main target for criminals,” Mazzanti says. “But merchants who work with a Cybersecurity provider like eMazzanti can create strong defenses that protect against data theft, reduce downtime, and enhance both operational efficiency and reputation during this critical sales period.”