VISA-MASTERCARD HACK NOT AS BAD AS FIRST THOUGHT

04/02/2012 : Processor estimates around 1.5 million cardholder numbers may have been compromised
 
Estimates in news reports Friday that the card numbers of over 10 million Visa and Mastercard credit card holders may have been compromised in a security hack at processor Global Payments may have been exaggerated, the processor claimed late Sunday.
 
"Less than 1,500,000 card numbers may have been exported," by hackers who had access to the firm's payment processing system, the firm said in a statement. "Cardholder names, addresses and social security numbers were not obtained by the criminals." It also said hacker access was limited to the North American portion of its network.