Cyber Incident Victim: P. F. Chang's
Date:
Jun 2014
Location:
United States of America
Summary
P.F. Chang's confirmed a cyberattack compromising customer credit and debit card data at some U.S. locations, prompting an investigation with the U.S. Secret Service and third-party forensics experts. The restaurant chain temporarily switched to manual card imprinting systems using carbon copies and dial-up readers to process payments securely during the inquiry, while establishing a dedicated website for updates and urging customers to monitor their financial statements for fraudulent activity.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On June 10, 2014, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro confirmed a security compromise involving theft of customer credit and debit card data from some of its U.S. restaurants. The nationwide restaurant chain acknowledged the breach in a public statement issued the same day KrebsOnSecurity first reported evidence of the incident. P.F. Chang’s stated it initiated an investigation immediately upon discovery, collaborating with the United States Secret Service and third-party digital forensics experts to determine the nature and scope of the attack. While the investigation remained in preliminary stages at the time of disclosure, the company confirmed data had been compromised. As an immediate containment measure, all continental U.S. locations transitioned to manual credit card processing systems to protect guest payment security during the ongoing forensic review. This manual imprinting system involved retaining carbon copy receipts and using dial-up card readers connected to traditional fax lines instead of electronic point-of-sale terminals.
The company established a dedicated website (pfchangs.com/security/) to provide breach updates and answer customer questions, advising guests to monitor financial statements for fraudulent activity and report any suspicious transactions to their card issuers. P.F. Chang’s did not disclose specific technical details about the attack methodology, compromised systems, number of affected locations, or timeframe of unauthorized access during its initial announcement. The breach notification emphasized operational continuity through manual processing while containing the incident, but did not address root causes like potential PCI-DSS compliance failures or lack of EMV chip card adoption referenced in broader industry discussions within source materials. No customer reimbursement or credit monitoring services were mentioned in the initial corporate statement, which focused on confirming the breach’s occurrence, describing containment actions, and outlining basic consumer vigilance recommendations without speculative claims about attacker origins or motives.