NATIONWIDE — Several Disney Springs restaurants and Buca di Beppo were among those targeted in a nationwide credit card breach of Earl Enterprise restaurants, the company says.
- Planet Hollywood, Earl of Sandwich, Chicken Guy! impacted
- Nationwide breach includes Buca di Beppo, Mixology
- Malicious software captured credit-, debit-card information
In addition to Buca di Beppo, the other affected restaurants are Earl of Sandwich, Planet Hollywood, Chicken Guy!, Mixology, and Tequila Taqueria.
Chicken Guy!, Earl of Sandwich, and Planet Hollywood are at Disney Springs.
In a statement released Friday, Earl Enterprises said that nationwide breach includes transactions between May 23, 2018 and March 18, 2019.
The company says malicious software had been installed at point-of-sale systems at some of its restaurants. That software was capturing credit- and debit-card data, including numbers, expiration dates, and possibly names.
It says that orders paid online through third-party applications were not impacted.
Earl Enterprises says it's working with law enforcement officials and is cooperating with them.
The company also said it has fixed the system, and no other customers should be impacted. It is now working with affected customers to address this matter.
"The security and privacy of our guests’ payment card data is a top priority, and Earl Enterprises deeply regrets that this incident occurred," the company said.
Earl Enterprises has not commented on how many customers may have had their personal information compromised.
Tom Jelneck, cybersecurity expert and president of On Target Web Solutions, says when malware is involved, hackers don’t even have to be physically present to steal your information.
“(Hackers) send out a whole bunch of malicious emails. An unknowing person (in sales) could check an email, click a link, which installs the malware, and spread throughout the entire network, so any single time a credit card is processed, they’re taking that information, sending it back to headquarters, and selling it on the dark web,” he explained.
Jelneck says that’s why it’s always important to keep a close watch on your bank account and credit or debit card statements. Alert your bank the minute you see anything that looks like fraud.
The company released information for customers who want to check if their restaurant was impacted. You can also call the company's call center at 1-888-437-2399 between 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.