Shaw’s supermarkets in Maine hit by data breach

The 22 Shaw’s supermarkets in Maine were affected by a data card breach that hit supermarkets across the country between Aug. 27 and Sept. 21, but a spokeswoman said an investigation has not turned up evidence that card numbers were stolen.

The spokeswoman, Christine Wilcox, made the comments after the supermarket companies Supervalu and Albertsons said Monday that the card data of their shoppers may be at risk in the latest hack.

Supervalu sold the Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s and Star Market chains to Cerberus Capital Management in 2013, but it still provides information technology services for those stores.

The companies said that in late August or early September, malicious software was installed on networks that process credit and debit card transactions at some of their stores.

If card numbers were indeed stolen by hackers, Wilcox said she had no way Monday night of knowing how many Shaw’s customers in Maine might have been affected.

Other Shaw’s stores in New England also could have been affected.

At least 23 died in crashes tied to faulty ignition switches

At least 23 people have died and 16 people have been seriously injured in crashes involving General Motors cars with defective ignition switches.

Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM to compensate victims, updated the totals in an Internet posting Monday.

Feinberg says he has received 153 death claims since August. Of those, 23 have been deemed eligible for compensation payments, up from 21 last week.

Sixteen of the 714 injury claimants have also received compensation offers.

Agency looking into Toyota Corolla acceleration complaint

A U.S. safety agency is looking into a car owner’s allegations that older Toyota Corollas can accelerate unexpectedly at low speeds and cause crashes, reviving a problem that appeared to be in the automaker’s past.

The inquiry by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 1.69 million Corolla compact cars from the 2006 to 2010 model years.

The agency said in documents posted Monday on its website that the inquiry will determine whether a formal investigation is needed.