Retailer Target revealed Thursday that 40 million of its customers’ credit and debit card accounts may have been revealed to cyber-criminals who gained unauthorized access to the store’s payment card data.
The company said the customer names, debit or credit card numbers, card expiration dates were taken, along with the three-digit security codes often imprinted on the backs of cards, known as CVVs. With that information, it would be easy for criminals to ring up purchases at most Web sites.
The company said it immediately notified law enforcement authorities and financial institutions after discovering the breach, though this is its first notice to customers.
The breach affected those shopping at the height of the holiday shopping season, Target said, between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Consumers and companies are at particularly high-risk for data breaches during the holidays, as the increased volume of transactions can mask other irregularities that can tip companies off to a problem.
I heard on the news this am that the malware was installed on the actual swipe machine. It reads the magnetic strip on the back of the card scooping up all your personal data.
ZitatThe breach is the latest in a series of technology crises for Target. The company faced tough criticism in late 2011 after it drummed up hype around its offerings from Italian designer Missoni only to see its website crash. The site was down most of the day the designer's collection launched. The company angered customers further with numerous online delays for products and even order cancellations. http://wtop.com/628/3527975/Target-40M-a...olved-in-breach
I suspect Target's IT uses the kith and kin of the 'brightest and the best' used by the Canadian company that created the ObamaCare web site.