Following up on Brian Kreb’s report that attackers were able to get to Target’s payment card system after compromising the login credentials of HVAC contractor Fazio Mechanical Services,, Jaikumar Vijayan gets responses and comments from several experts on what appears to be Target’s failure to properly segment its network. You can read his article on Computerworld.
Category: Subcontractor
Target Hackers Broke in Via HVAC Company – Krebs
Brian Krebs gets the scoop again: Last week, Target told reporters at The Wall Street Journal and Reuters that the initial intrusion into its systems was traced back to network credentials that were stolen from a third party vendor. Sources now tell KrebsOnSecurity that the vendor in question was a refrigeration, heating and air conditioning subcontractor that has worked at a…
Norwalk, OH: No one in trouble for SSN debacle
Scott Seitz reports: Norwalk officials reported Monday no one will face discipline involving the release of residents’ Social Security numbers during a postcard mailing last week. The cards originally were mailed to provide residents access to 2013 Norwalk municipal income tax forms. Diane Eschen, finance director, said the city provided Shamrock, the firm which processed…
Provider of Medical Transcript Services Settles FTC Charges That It Failed to Adequately Protect Consumers’ Personal Information
Press release from the FTC, followed by my comments: A company that provides medical transcription services has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its inadequate data security measures unfairly exposed the personal information of thousands of consumers on the open Internet, in some instances including consumers’ medical histories and examination notes. In its complaint…
Norwalk, Ohio Mayor: Sorry about the SSN on postcards
Tom Jackson reports: Norwalk’s mayor says city officials regret mailing out thousands of postcards that list the Social Security numbers of local taxpayers. City officials have asked the recipients to destroy the cards, and they’ve already mailed out substitute cards that omit the sensitive numbers. “Obviously, we’re very sorry and we wish it had never happened,”…
Target Hackers Used Stolen Vendor Credentials
Danny Yadron, Paul Ziobro and Charles Levinson report: The hackers who stole 40 million credit- and debit-card numbers from Target Corp. appear to have breached the discounter’s systems by using credentials stolen from a vendor. The finding will help to start unraveling the riddle of how the software that carried out the attack got into Target’s systems….