Posted 4/19/14

As my own unused (for years) AOL sends out meaningless emails to contacts - that were deleted 2 years ago - and Target takes a giant sigh of relief after their giant hacking into their systems, Michaels Stores, a fun family-freindly arts and crafts home store, announced late yesterday they had been hacked.

The first time Michaels Stores announced their systems had been hacked was in late January, after Target endured their breach of security.

But now, the store has reported a computer hacked involved sophisticated malware that was not previously discovered in other hacking attacks.

This breach includes credit card data, and occurred at the cash registers and point-of-sale. Chuck Rubin, the CEO of Michaels, said the digital age we enjoy now is also reaping rewards for thieves.

"In an era where very sophisticated and determined criminals have proven capable of successfully attacking a wide range of computer networks, we must all increase our level of vigilance," he noted.

But how to protect the data of up to 2.6 million debit and credit cards open to hacking from this latest breach is not clear.

The malware hacking occurred at a framing company, Aaron Brothers, that is connected to Michaels Stores. And, this hacking did not end after the January announcement that that the stores had been virtually attacked.

Instead, the hacking continued for three months.

If you believe your credit or debit card has been hacked, please visit the Michaels Stores website.

As for AOL email spam, don't count on it going away anytime soon. The company has not responded to help requests. Even if you change your password, your spam may continue for while. Just do not open any odd links in any emails.

Updates to follow.