Monthly Archives: March 2012

GIJCC posts update on cyber security investigation.

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This should have posted yesterday but “real world” concerns kept the JBL staff otherwise occupied.  Brian Savage brings members this latest update to the data theft/credit card scandal that has rocked the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club this year.

Here is the latest update on the credit card security investigation.

The firm we have hired to analyze our former ecommerce server and software has preliminarily determined that we did incur a SQL injection code attack sometime before Christmas.  Our ISP did have a commercial product installed that was supposed to defeat these types of attacks, but apparently it failed.

This allowed the hackers access to our order information.  While it is still unknown exactly what data they were able to harvest (investigation continues) we need to assume that they were able to extract all of our order information. The security firm thinks that this attack has allowed the hackers to come back periodically and harvest more information.  However, once the old server was taken out of service (around February 21st) there was nothing left for them to access.

Once this information was stolen, (no matter if it was back before Christmas) there is no time frame as to when the thieves may sell or try to use the information to purport credit card theft.

What does this mean to me?

We are asking again that anyone who has used a credit card in our old online systems in the past year (NOT THE NEW STORE) to get your card replaced immediately. If you have done this already, there is no action required on your part.

We apologize for the inconvenience, we know this whole thing is a pain, but it is better to replace the cards than have to deal with any issues that may result from this theft of data.  Even though the amount of fraud has greatly declined, we are still receiving a customer report every few days of someone else (who hasn’t replaced their cards) getting hit.  We strongly encourage you to take this step immediately if you have not done so already. Again, this DOES NOT pertain to any cards that have been used in the new store.

What is the plan?

We are still working on all of the issues and are several weeks away from a final resolution.  Our new store is currently offline while we complete the entries and audit the data from the renewals we received last week.  Just to reiterate, this new store is a totally different piece of software, at a totally different hosting site.  There are hundreds of other retailers using this same software as it is hosted by the software creators.

We hope to have the store online and registration system back online sometime next week. When the store comes back online, we will be adding products slowly so it will take some time to have everything back in the store.

Thank you for your patience and support during this trying issue.

Brian

 

GIJCC: New store details and information about renewing memberships online

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The GIJCC is in full damage-control mode these days after their databases were hacked and membership information was compromised.  Here’s the latest information from the Club about how to renew online and the future of the Club’s online store.

Hello and thanks for your patience.  We have come a long way since we turned off the stores approximately two weeks ago.

For those of you who are interested in the ongoing investigation, our original server has been taken offline and will be undergoing an investigation over the coming days.  The current server online is a clone of the original with all of the critical data removed.  If we find a reasonable cause for the security issue, we will let you know.

We have decided to change our store and forum software.  It has been many tedious hours converting the existing data to work with our new store.  All the membership data is loaded in the store.  The forum will be brought online at a later date.

With our new store software, we have figured out a way to extend the deadline a few days.  This means that everyone’s April magazine will run 7-10 days late.   Our new cutoff date and time is Wednesday March 21, 2012 at 5pm Central Time.

The store has been brought online before its completion to allow renewals and new memberships.  All of the features are not implemented at this time.   We apologize for the length of this email but there is a lot of new information that affects all members.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THROUGH THIS THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY ACTION.  Here are the parameters for the new store:

1.  Each membership must have its own UNIQUE email account.

2.  Your store log in is the email address that this message came to.  Your password is the same as the one you have been using at the former club store and forum.  If you have forgotten your password, you can use the “remember me” function.  It only sends your password to your email account; it does not send your login.

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GIJCC News: new site and store are on “imminent”… Renewal deadline extended.

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Collector’s Club members received the following email this afternoon:

Dear G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club Member,

We have been working diligently to get a replacement store online for you. This is still in progress. However, we are ANTICIPATING that a temporary solution will be available later today (Friday). This is a totallly new website, with totally new software, at a totallly new provider. This commercial software has hundreds of stores and is fully PCI and PCI DSS complient. Their facility has been described to me as a military grade security facility.

Do not go to the old store site. I will provide you with the new url for this system in a later email and we will change the links at that time.

In addition, we have figured out a way to extend this month’s deadline for a few days (because of the new software). We are extending the deadliine date to Wednesday, March 21st, at 5pm central time in order for all of the mail that is enroute to arrive.

However, this will effect EVERYONE’S monthly magazine. The April issues will be approximately 7-10 days late.

Also, we will not be able to reinburse anyone who spent money on expediting renewals to us.

We again apologize to everyone for all of the issues we have been having. We think that you will be very pleased with the new features this store will offer you.

Brian

Knock on wood that the Club can get all of their current issues resolved.  2012 has not been a good year for them with continual delays with the much publicized Figure Subscription Service, delayed newsletters, and a vast data theft that left countless members’ personal information compromised.

G.I. Joe Renegades DVD vol 1 official press release

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FINALLY!  Seriously– despite solid ratings, Renegades was treated like the unwanted step-brother of Transformers by Hasbro and the Hub.  However, thanks to Shout Factory fans can at least enjoy the first part of the season on DVD.

For Immediate Release

BRANDED AS RENEGADES FOR CRIMES THEY DIDN’T COMMIT, A GROUP
OF YOUNG HEROES IS FORCED TO TURN FUGITIVE AS THEY BATTLE
TO CLEAR THEIR NAMES AND EXPOSE THE EVIL THAT IS COBRA

G.I. JOE: RENEGADES
SEASON ONE, VOLUME 1

The First 13 Episodes from the First Season of Popular Animated
Series Produced by Hasbro Studios in a Collectible 2-DVD Set

OWN IT ON JUNE 5, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

This summer, prepare to join the action and witness the emergence of the heroic G.I. JOE team as a cadre of highly-trained specialists who are forced to band together to prevent the nefarious COBRA from achieving world domination. On June 5, 2012, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios, will debut fan favorite animated series G.I. JOE: Renegades Season One, Volume 1 on DVD. Featuring the first 13 episodes from the first season, this collectible 2-DVD set is a must have for fans, kids and collectors and has a suggested retail price of $19.93. The initial product run of G.I. JOE: Renegades Season One, Volume 1 DVD set will include a Movie Cash offer to see the upcoming major motion picture G.I. JOE: Retaliation, in theaters June 29.

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March Collector’s Club newsletter delayed…

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It would seem that the GIJCC is going for the “hat trick” of issues with their monthly newsletter.  Both January and February announced that members were in the middle of the subscription service period for the FSS and now we have the following update from Brian regarding the March newsletter.

Hello,

It seems when it rains it pours.  We just found out this morning that our printer has failed to mail you the March issue. This will be going out by Friday so they are incredibly late.  If you don’t get yours by the end of the month, please let us know.  We apoligize [sic] for the delay.

Brian

It’s been reported on some forums that the Club was unaware the newsletter had not shipped until active members called in to report it.  Granted, some of us miss the days when we could just get a .pdf copy of the content on the club’s web page.   In this day and age, a reduced rate subscription with a .pdf-only option with email delivery seems to be a no-brainer.

Hasbro cuts 170 jobs — primarily in the US and Canada

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Here’s the latest from Yahoo Finance and Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Hasbro Inc is cutting about 170 jobs as the second-largest U.S. toy company tries to recover from sluggish sales during the holiday season.

Most of the jobs are in the United States and Canada, company spokesman Wayne Charness said, including “about 55” in Rhode Island where it is based.

“These moves were made to address both the under-performance in the U.S. and Canada segment, and the need for different skill sets in the company’s workforce to be better aligned with a quickly evolving business,” Charness said.

All employees affected will get “competitive” severance packages, including outplacement services, he said.

Hasbro will take some related charges in the first quarter, but they won’t be material, he added.

The maker of Nerf foam toys and Monopoly board games suffered from weak post-Thanksgiving demand, especially for its games and puzzles, in the United States and Canada.

Larger rival Mattel also missed sales expectations in the holiday quarter, but still outperformed Hasbro and gained share from Mattel, according to data from NPD, a market research firm.

Hasbro, based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has 5,900 employees worldwide, including about 1,400 in that state.

According to information posted at ActionFigureInsider.com, this includes employees from the Boys & Collector lines.  No news is available as to what effect this will have on the G.I. Joe design team.

Hasbro addesses fan concerns over credit card fraud with Fun Publications

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HunterPR, Hasbro’s PR firm, released the following statement regarding the cyber-security issues experienced by Fun Publications over the past few months:

“To the G.I. Joe and Transformers fan communities and Fun Publications customers,

Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention and for giving Hasbro the opportunity to respond to a matter that impacts its G.I. Joe and Transformers brands.  Please know we take all consumer concerns very seriously and are in regular contact with Fun Publications (our licensee) about the possibility of a breach in security to their online purchasing system for the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors’ Clubs.  Fun Publications is also taking this matter very seriously and is diligently working at identifying any problems, the number of customers affected and ways to ensure it does not happen to any more customers. Hasbro wants consumers to have a positive experience at all touch points for its brands, including transactions with its licensees.  As such, we are confident that Fun Publications has detailed instructions and pertinent information available for those consumers who believe they may have been targeted by credit theft via their portals.

Based on our extensive conversations with the Fun Publications team Hasbro wants to convey the following to the fan communities:

Fun Publications has assured us that they are taking necessary measures to curb additional issues, and they are working with third party experts to identify the problem.  They anticipate knowing and communicating the cause of the breach as soon as possible to those affected.

– They believe that the number of customers affected is low relative to the volume of sales transactions made.

– However, if you believe fraudulent charges have been made to your credit card after making a purchase with any portals for the G.I. Joe or Transformers Collectors’ Clubs, we urge you to contact Fun Publications immediately and provide them with the information requested at https://www.transformersclub.com/tccccinfo.cfm or http://gijoeclub.com/ccinfo.cfm by using the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of these pages.

– Fun Publications can also be reached at the following number for additional consumer affairs inquiries relating to the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors’ Clubs at (817) 448-9863 during regular business hours.

– As more information becomes available, they will be contacting all affected customers who have notified them about the issue.

Thank you again to all of the fans of our Transformers and G.I. Joe brands for their continued support and for the opportunity to respond to this matter.”

Fun Publications also mentioned the following information on their Facebook page:

As we continue to work on our systems, you will see some of our services go offline and then come back, so please be patient as we preserve data and clone servers and websites.

We are also taking this opportunity to remove all non-essential services from our ecomerce server. So in the short term in the next day or so, the club forums will be discontinued. It will be several days until we are ready to bring them back under an entierly new piece of software. I know alot of you have been asking for this so, we have decided to replace several of our systems with new packages. This means that you will not have access to the forum for a while at all. We do plan to make the old forum viewable (no posts) in the future.

Since we do not know exactly what data was taken, we are recommending that if your have used common logins or passwords with our system and any other system that your change your passwords in those systems immidiately (especially any financial sysstems)! We will be resetting all of the passwords in our system very soon. Please don’t delay in changing your passwords in other locations.

In addition, we have found a few recent aticles concerning security issues with other vendors. If you use these services, these issues could possibly impact you. Please read the attached links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/itunes-hack-unauthorized-charges-apple_n_1268593.html?

http://www.greenpois0n.co/itunes-accounts-being-hacked-to-steal-money-from-store-credit.html

Thanks for your support in this difficult time. We will continue to work with our vendors to correct the issues and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused any of our members.

JBL will continue to provide updates as this situation develops.