Vulnerability

Yesterday I had to cancel one of my credit cards for the 2nd time in  a bit over two months.  It seems that hackers figured out how to access some retailer's system and steal my credit card information.  It took them a much shorter period of time to figure this out this time.  This is now the 3rd time this has happened to me since March.  In all instances I have been reimbursed for the charges, but the time and effort of having to get new cards is a drag.  In the instance of this most recent hack, I now have to also get new cards out to my children who are in various places around the country.  {Why they don't have their own credit cards is a subject for another time.}  

Help is on the way with regards to credit cards as by October all credit card distributors are required to convert to EMV technology.  That's credit cards with a chip embedded inside and technology used to authenticate credit card transactions.   However, October is going to be too late for my current credit card provider.  When I was hacked back at the end of March I asked my current company for an EMV ready card.  They said they were rolling them out in batches and I would have to wait.  I asked the same thing yesterday only to be told again that I would have to wait.   Faced with what would be at a minimum the fourth new card from the same company in six months, I have decided to close out that card and get an EMV ready card now.  Given how lucrative it will be to be able to hack into the next generation credit card systems though, does anybody have any confidence about how long it will take thieves to figure out to break into these?

Of course it seems no system is safe.  All that data that the world is compiling on you and me is incredibly valuable to somebody.  Hospitals have been hacked.  The IRS has been hacked and now so has the Federal government's Office of Personnel Management.  If you want to read how much of a strategic catastrophe this latest hack is then go here.  Of course if we want to go for the Federal trifecta we also now have a better understanding of how inept the TSA is at keeping us safe.  Recent tests on it's systems showed a 95% failure rate.  

Am I the only one who wonders if all of this marvelous new technology that was supposed to make our lives easier, safer and simpler is actually doing the opposite?  I mean does anybody have confidence that folks with bad intentions have any real barriers to entry to all of your important information? I sure don't.