Fast food chain says payment malware hit dozens of US restaurants

Popular fast food chain Checkers, also known in some locations under the name Rally's, has reported the discovery of malware on its point-of-sale system. The malicious software was installed on the systems used at some Checkers and Rally's stores by 'an unauthorized party,' according to the company. More than 100 restaurants across the US were impacted by this security breach.

The malware was live on impacted restaurant point-of-sale systems at different times; Checkers lists both impacted locations and the dates they were exposed here. Based on that info, it appears the earliest infection date was December 17, 2015, with some stores having remained compromised by the malware through May 2019.

According to Checkers, the malware was designed to gather information stored on a bank card's magnetic strip — the company doesn't have any evidence that the malware was able to get information on the customers beyond that data. Upon discovering the security issue, Checkers 'took steps to contain' it, also bringing in security experts and law enforcement.

Though a significant number of locations were impacted, Checkers says it adds up to only around 15-percent of the total number of Checkers and Rally's restaurants. Most fast food customers were not impacted by the security breach. Individuals who visited the impacted destinations during the times they were infected are encouraged to monitor their bank accounts for signs of malicious activity.

The malware has been removed from these stores' point-of-sale systems and Checkers reports that it is safe to make purchases at these destinations using a credit or debit card. Potentially impacted customers are encouraged to report any instances of identity theft to their local police and to the FTC.