Blame The Russians For Stealing Target Shoppers’ Personal Information

Wow, they really don't want us to care for the Olympics.

The real victim. (Photo: Buzznet)
The real victim. (Photo: Buzznet)

Remember back in December when Target caused us to have a collective breakdown because the credit card information of 70 million shoppers was stolen? The government said yesterday it found who you should direct your anger toward: the Russians.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

See all of our newsletters

Authorities discovered that parts of the code that were deployed to steal people’s PIN and card data were written in Russian and have been floating around on the Internet black market since last year. Both aspects suggest that the operation has its roots with an organize crime group in Russia, reports the WSJ

The report goes on to describe the operation as very sophisticated, so much so that security analysts are still figuring out how it worked. They did figure out that the virus couldn’t be detected by antivirus software and was designed to hide that “they were collecting copies of data from the magnetic stripes” on shoppers’ cards. Seems like a lot of work!

With the upcoming Olympics, maybe the Russians should focus their energy in medaling for hockey?

Blame The Russians For Stealing Target Shoppers’ Personal Information