In a sudden outbreak of cyberwarfare Saudi and Israeli hackers are in a heated and escalating battle to see who can capture more enemy credit card numbers. Although far gentler than traditional warfare, this latest Mideast flareup may prove most costly in Riyals and Shekels to the citizens of both countries.

A relatively small $82,000 lawsuit and countersuit between U.S. Bank and a Park City, Utah, restaurant over responsibility for hacked customer data could have big repercussions for credit card giant Visa/Mastercard and its payment card industry (PCI) security rules.