Several tri-county Wendy’s restaurants were hacked by malware, the company said July 7.

Wendy’s restaurants in Ventura, Oxnard, Goleta, Lompoc, Paso Robles and two restaurants in Camarillo were hit with malware that may have stolen customers’ credit and debit card information. The company said in a news release customers’ names, credit card numbers, expiration dates, cardholder verification numbers and service codes may have been stolen in the cyber attack.

Most regional restaurants were affected between Jan. 13 and June 8, the company said on its website. Wendy’s said in the news release it is working with forensic experts and law enforcement to determine what happened.

Wendy’s first announced it was investigating a possible hack back in January and confirmed the news in February. In May, Wendy’s said fewer than 300 stores had been hit by the cyber attack. In June, it said the number of stores hit was considerably greater and that the hacks affected cash registers at the stores.

“We apologize to anyone who has been inconvenienced as a result of these highly sophisticated, criminal cyber attacks,” the company said in the news release. “We recommend that you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity.”

• Contact Philip Joens at pjoens@pacbiztimes.com.