Shoppers' credit card details are at risk of being stolen because companies are storing them without realising, according to research.

A random survey of more than 100 businesses by Ground Labs, a software company, found that every one of them had credit card details unwittingly stored on its computers. One company that was adamant it had no credit card details on record was found to have more than 20 million card numbers on computers throughout its network, Ground Labs said. The finding supports fears that many businesses take inadequate steps to safeguard customers' credit card details. "Holding credit card details in this way is a breach of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards compliance obligations and can attract up to a £500,000 fine by the Information Commissioner's Office in a case of a data breach," Ground Labs said. Even businesses that claimed to be compliant with agreed global standards for credit card data security held rogue details, the survey found. "There are various possible reasons for this, all linked to standard computer processes such as browser 'caches' or email duplications," the company said.....Read more here: Your credit card details at risk as companies store them unwittingly - Telegraph