Local Chipotle locations involved in data breach

By Mick Akers

Wednesday, May 31, 2017 | 9:17 a.m.

Multiple Las Vegas-area Chipotle locations were part of a recent data breach that affected the national restaurant chain.

Twenty-two valley locations were part of the data breach — 19 in Las Vegas, two in Henderson and one in North Las Vegas — but the number of customers affected was not provided.

From March 24 to April 18, malware was used to access payment card information from Chipotle’s point-of-sale (POS) devices at various locations across the nation, according to a post on Chipotle’s website. The Las Vegas area incidents occurred from March 25 to April 18.

The malware looked for track data read from the magnetic stripe of payment cards being routed through Chipotle’s POS system, the Chipotle post said. That data contained card numbers, expiration dates and internal verification codes.

Chipotle advises customers who think they were victimized in the attack to immediately report any unauthorized charges to their financial institution. Payment card rules generally spare responsibility of cardholders for unauthorized charges if reported in a timely manner.

The malware was removed during the investigation, and Chipotle continues to work with cybersecurity firms to evaluate ways to enhance their security measures.

Additionally, Chipotle is helping law enforcement’s investigation and is working with the payment card networks so that the banks that issue payment cards are aware and initiate heightened monitoring.

If customers have questions regarding this incident, they are urged to call 888-738-0534 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PDT Monday through Friday. A full listing of stores targeted by the cyberattack can be found here.