DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Target Investigating Credit Card Data Breach in US Stores

Quote:

---

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/12/sources-target-investigating-data-breach/#more-24054

http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-...a-in-u-s-stores

Target Investigating Credit Card Data Breach in US Stores

Nationwide retail giant Target is investigating a data breach potentially involving millions of customer credit and debit card records, multiple reliable sources tell KrebsOnSecurity. The sources said the breach appears to have begun on or around Black Friday 2013 — by far the busiest shopping day the year.

target

Update, Dec. 19: 8:20 a.m. ET: Target released a statement this morning confirming a breach, saying that 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013.

Original story;

According to sources at two different top 10 credit card issuers, the breach extends to nearly all Target locations nationwide, and involves the theft of data stored on the magnetic stripe of cards used at the stores.

Minneapolis, Minn. based Target Brands Inc. has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Representatives from MasterCard and Visa also could not be immediately reached for comment.

Both sources said the breach was initially thought to have extended from just after Thanksgiving 2013 to Dec. 6. But over the past few days, investigators have unearthed evidence that the breach extended at least an additional week — possibly as far as Dec. 15. According to sources, the breach affected an unknown number of Target customers who shopped at the company’s bricks-and-mortar stores during that timeframe.

“The breach window is definitely expanding,” said one anti-fraud analyst at a top ten U.S. bank card issuer who asked to remain anonymous. “We can’t say for sure that all stores were impacted, but we do see customers all over the U.S. that were victimized.”

There are no indications at this time that the breach affected customers who shopped at Target’s online stores. The type of data stolen — also known as “track data” — allows crooks to create counterfeit cards by encoding the information onto any card with a magnetic stripe. If the thieves also were able to intercept PIN data for debit transactions, they would theoretically be able to reproduce stolen debit cards and use them to withdraw cash from ATMs.


It’s not clear how many cards thieves may have stolen in the breach. But the sources I spoke with from two major card issuers said they have so far been notified by one of the credit card associations regarding more than one million of cards total from both issuers that were thought to have been compromised in the breach. A third source at a data breach investigation firm said it appears that “when all is said and done, this one will put its mark up there with some of the largest retail breaches to date.”

Some of the largest retailer breaches to date may help explain what happened in this case. In 2007, retailer TJX announced that its systems had been breached by hackers. The company later learned that thieves had used the store’s wireless networks to access systems at its Massachusetts headquarters that were used to store data related to payment card, check and return transactions at stores across the country, and that crooks had made off with data from more than 45 million customer credit and debit cards.

In 2009, credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems disclosed that thieves had broken into is internal card processing network, and installed malicious software that allowed them to steal track data on more than 130 million cards.

This is likely to be a fast-moving story. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

Quote:

---

If using credit cards online, open up credit accounts with small credit limits, that way if it does get stolen, the crooks can't get very much from you...its called minimizing your risk....

---

Quote:

---

I agree, but make sure you take into consideration the credit score ramifications if you're keeping a balance. More cards and cards with high balance/credit limit ratios typically lower credit scores. As well, to add onto this, research credit card companies - I have a BofA visa card as well as debit card - I get calls (and emails) from BofA whenever they see something that doesn't seem right (they've also locked the account when this has happened, while inconvenient, it is much better than what could happen).

---

Quote:

---

jc

This thread 6 comments... Duck Dynasty thread 113... LOL

---

Quote:

---

I think that if I had shopped at target with my credit card I would be on the phone to my credit card company seeing about getting a replacement card with new numbers.

---

Yeah, they're saying do it immediately. I'm waiting on my new debit card to come via mail. Then I get to go through the process of updating all my auto-pay info for my bills

all because I bought a single, one box of protein bars recently at Target.

Quote:

---

I heard or read something earlier today that makes a ton of sense. Imagine if these people who stole all of this data make just a $4 or $5 charge to each credit card they stole. 40 million credit cards .... $5 each ....... that's $200 million ..... nice, easy, and probably most being small enough that no one would even notice, or bother with.

---

Quote:

---

NRTU - I don't know if it has been posted on this thread but I read in the Washington post that they think the affected dates were between Nov 27th adn Dec 15th. I shopped at a Target on the 22nd of Nov so I think i'm ok but have been checking my credit card statements.

---

Quote:

---

I work in retail designing store systems solutions and do a lot of credit/debit work. The solution for this is something a lot of other countries use called Chip and PIN . While not perfect it is a lot better than what we have.

---