Hasta La Gadget!

Back in December 2013, a little before Christmas, retailer Target announced that their systems had been breached and that around 40 million credit card numbers were stolen in the process. Target then went on to reveal that encrypted bank PINs were stolen as well, and now according to a new report from the retailer, it seems that the security breach was larger than they had expected as it has been revealed that more than 70 million phone numbers, mailing address, email address, and names had been compromised as well. While most of this information can be readily found online, it can still be used by thieves and hackers who might use it for other nefarious purposes.

According to Target, the information about their customers are stored separately from the 40 million credit card numbers that were previously stolen, and while there could be overlapping information, Target did not reveal how extensive it was. However the semi-good news is that Target has since identified the point of attack which has since been closed off. It is unclear what the authorities are planning to do about these breaches at the moment, and if Target could be facing some legal consequences as well, if not from the government, from its shoppers possibly who might not appreciate having their information stolen as it could be seen as negligence on Target’s part. In any case this recent security breach is definitely not helping customers forgive and forget the previous incident.

Security Breach At Target Compromises 70 Million Names, Phone Numbers, Emails, And More original content from Ubergizmo.

Last week Target revealed that it had suffered a massive security breach in which 40 million credit and debit card numbers had been compromised. The retailer said that the “sophisticated” hack lasted 19 days but didn’t say exactly how it went down. Numerous reports started circulating a few days back about the possibility of encrypted bank PINs having been compromised as well, Target initially denied it, but now it has confirmed that hackers were able to steal encrypted credit and debit card PINs.

A spokeswoman for the retailer made this confirmation, while saying that the PIN numbers should be “safe and secure” because hackers can not decrypt them without having the required keys. Since Target doesn’t store encrypted keys, they couldn’t have been stolen in the hack, which is why the retailer is certain that despite encrypted bank PINs being stolen there’s not much that the hackers will be able to do with them. Target’s independent payments processor has the necessary keys, and so far there haven’t been any reports of that payments processor being hit with a similar breach. Nevertheless, a major U.S. bank which spoke to Reuters is concerned that hackers will ultimately be able to crack the encryption, which would allow them to wreak havoc on associated bank accounts. Those who shopped at Target and paid through plastic should considering changing their PINs and keeping a close eye on their account activity.

Target Confirms That Encrypted PINs Were Stolen In Massive Security Breach original content from Ubergizmo.

It would appear that the debacle Target is facing this holiday season is turning over as we speak. Though they’d previously suggested that findings showed no PIN data to have … Continue reading

It has been over a week since Target was hit by a severe security breach which, according to the retailer’s estimate, ended up in compromising over 40 million credit and debit card numbers. This is actually the second largest breach ever reported by a U.S. retailer, according to Target the breach lasted 19 days, starting before Thanksgiving. A senior payments executive “familiar with the situation” told Reuters that encrypted bank PINs were also compromised, but Target says that no PINs were accessed.

According to the executive, a major U.S. bank fears that consumer bank accounts might be at risk of fraudulent withdrawals if thieves are able to crack the encryption code. Target hasn’t revealed exactly how the security breach went down, only describing it as “sophisticated.” It is now being investigated by the Justice Department and the U.S. Secret Service. The retailer is adamant that PINs weren’t accessed, however spokeswoman Molly Snyder did say that some encrypted data was stolen but didn’t specify if it included PINs as well. So if you have shopped at Target during this time period and have paid by a credit or debit card, you might want to be extra vigilant with regards to your bank account activity. The smart thing to do would be to change PINs and cancel possibly affected cards, even though that might inconvenience you a bit.

Target Denies That Bank PINs Were Compromised In Hack original content from Ubergizmo.

Target was hacked during the busy Christmas shopping season and the resulting data breach is believed to have compromised as many as 40 million credit cards. This breach is notable … Continue reading