The move affects the most vulnerable in the state — SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that helps low-income households buy food. Benefits are loaded each month onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, card that works much like a debit card at participating stores. At least 2 million new EBT cards will be issued to beneficiaries with Europay, Mastercard, and Visa — referred to as EMV chip technology. Stores that accept EBT cards will also be issued with either a new terminal device, software or both. Until then, state officials advise that people can protect their card security by locking the card when not in use, avoiding short, easy-to-guess PIN combinations.