Target Got Hacked Hard in 2005. Here’s Why They Let It Happen Again by Kim Zetter – W

[LilBambi]

A gang of shadowy hackers tears through the systems of big-box retailers, making off with millions of credit and debit card numbers in a matter of weeks and generating headlines around the country.

Target and Neiman Marcus last week? Nope. This oh-so-familiar attack occurred in 2005.

That’s when Albert Gonzalez and cohorts – including two Russian accomplices — launched a three-year digital rampage through the networks of Target, TJ Maxx, and about half a dozen other companies, absconding with data for more than 120 million credit and debit card accounts. Gonzalez and other members of his team eventually were caught; he’s serving two concurrent sentences for his role, amounting to 20 years and a day in prison, but the big-box breaches go on.

The latest string of hacks attacking Target, Neiman Marcus, and others raise an obvious question: How is it that nearly a decade after the Gonzalez gang pulled off its heists, little has changed in the protection of bank card data?

BOLD emphasis mine

[FONT=Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Target Got Hacked Hard in 2005. Here’s Why They Let It Happen Again by Kim Zetter – Wired Threat Level[/FONT]

This article is about much more than 2005 Target security breach. Much more.

 

[LilBambi]

I think Gartner’s analyst Avivah Litan’s quote was spot on:

"It’s a big failure of the whole industry," says Gartner analyst Avivah Litan. "This is going to keep getting worse, and this was totally predictable a few years ago and no one did anything. Everyone got worked up, and no one did anything."