Alert the client. Shred the files. Offer to fix.
Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
21–28 of 28 posts
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#22Obviously, just delete the file, tell your client exactly what happened and explain how you can help them secure their data better. Turn this accident into an opportunity. Why are these things always so hard? Why bring a lawyer (who will charge money fo his services) in own it?
I'd like to make this an opportunity, but definitely want things done right first. Since this software isn't mine or my client's software, but a service company's, I'm a bit leery to just call them up and tell them, "Hey I have all the CC#'s for every transaction ever run through your system". So that's why I'm here asking for advice :)
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#23From what you are explaining, I doubt they know enough to know that you downloaded the files. In a case where the CC's are stored in the db, it's a really easy mistake to make accidentally downloading the CC's by doing a db dump. I do this for many of my projects just so that I have a backup in case I screw something up. If they were worried about something like this happening then they should have warned you or put…
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for the advice! It's a service - like shopify - but definitely NOT shopify :) I'm just starting out, in college, so lawyers aren't in the budget...
Where I live, for under $10 the law society runs a hotline which you can call to be referred to a lawyer that can help your specific situation. As part of that referral service, you get a 30-45 minute consultation for free I believe. That's all you need right now. You might want to see if a similar service is offered where you live. See my other post in the thread stating why I think you need to speak to one.
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#252. Perhaps an anonymous tip to Visa and Mastercard would be in order. The provider needs to be shut down, as what they are doing goes beyond any excusable security failure. Almost every developer, no matter how good, can botch security--and so if all they were leaking was credit card numbers, names, addresses, and phone number, it would be at least remotely forgivable, if they were to promptly fix it.
However, you said they have the CVV too. That is not supposed to be stored at all. Of course, an online store site has to keep it for the duration of processing the transaction, but that should only be a few minutes. The fact that they are storing CVV shows that they are beyond redemption.
3. As for the numbers and other data you downloaded, secure delete it. I doubt anyone is going to care much about it. I once had a file with about the same number of card numbers and contact information, which I received unsolicited, offered up as a sample of the 100k cards the sender wanted to sell me. I was able to do some checking and determine that the information was apparently legit.
I called Visa and (I think) American Express. I naively thought they would be interested in putting immediate holds on the accounts. Nope. The FBI was not interested either--they suggested that the Secret Service would be the appropriate agency to deal with someone trafficking in stolen credit cards. The Secret Service disagreed. Eventually the next day I found someone at Visa who asked me to mail her the list.
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#26From what you are explaining, I doubt they know enough to know that you downloaded the files. In a case where the CC's are stored in the db, it's a really easy mistake to make accidentally downloading the CC's by doing a db dump. I do this for many of my projects just so that I have a backup in case I screw something up. If they were worried about something like this happening then they should have warned you or put…
You keep a copy of credit card numbers and CVV unencrypted in a database? Why wouldn't you use a third party/gateway to deal with CC data storage?
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#27From what you are explaining, I doubt they know enough to know that you downloaded the files. In a case where the CC's are stored in the db, it's a really easy mistake to make accidentally downloading the CC's by doing a db dump. I do this for many of my projects just so that I have a backup in case I screw something up. If they were worried about something like this happening then they should have warned you or put…
You keep a copy of credit card numbers and CVV unencrypted in a database? Why wouldn't you use a third party/gateway to deal with CC data storage?
Re: Ask HN: Crap, I just downloaded over 10000 Credit Card Numbers - Now What?
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
You keep a copy of credit card numbers and CVV unencrypted in a database? Why wouldn't you use a third party/gateway to deal with CC data storage?
When you use the gateway to store the CC data, then with most gateways you are stuck doing all future subscription billing on that card through that gateway. For many businesses, that is an unacceptable restriction.
The crazy part to me is that these guys are storing this information for years (One of the first rows was from 2002, and the last 2010) and they're not doing any kind of recurring billing/customer profile stuff. So if I make a purchase 10 times my card is stored 10 times.
To top it off, I went back on it while writing the client, and I don't even need a password to access data. I can create a valid session by setting a url parameter. :(