GameStop has once again found themselves in hot water.  The world’s largest video game retailer has just confirmed that the company is investigating reports that hackers may have accessed consumer credit card data from their website, GameStop.com.  According to KrebsOnSecurity, GameStop was notified about the breach by “a third party”. GameStop investigating this issue is a top priority for the retailer at this time.

“GameStop recently received notification from a third party that it believed payment card data from cards used on the GameStop.com website was being offered for sale on a website.”

According to two sources in the financial industry that spoke with KrebsOnSecurity, it is likely that GameStop.com was compromised by intruders between the middle of September 2016 and the first week of February 2017, which is a frighteningly large window of opportunity for hackers.  The sources concluded that the compromised credit card data is alleged to include customer card numbers, expiration dates, names, addresses and card verification values, normally a 3-digit security code on the back of a consumer’s credit card.  GameStop is currently working to verify the extent of the breach and the damage done.

“That day a leading security firm was engaged to investigate these claims.  GameStop has and will continue to work non-stop to address this report and take appropriate measures to eradicate any issue that may be identified.”

“We regret any concern this situation may cause for our customers,” the company submits in their statement.  GameStop goes on to remind customers to monitor payment card account statements for unauthorized charges, and to take immediate action if any are discovered.  Thankfully, the general rule for payment cards is that cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized charges that are reported in a timely manner.  The downside is that the time frame in question is roughly 7 months long, so that rule may not apply depending on when unauthorized charges were made.

News of the potential credit card data breach has come at a rough time for the Texas-based company.  GameStop’s most recent earnings report shows that the company’s stock price has depreciated 25.6% over the last year.  The company has also confirmed that it will be shutting down 150 stores.  Hopefully with less locations to manage, GameStop can focus on tightening the security on GameStop.com.

Thoughts on the potential credit card data breach?  Purchase anything on GameStop.com lately?  Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to DFTG for all the latest gaming and entertainment news!  Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!