美 유통업체 '타깃' 카드정보 4천만건 유출

Published : Dec 20, 2013 - 10:14 Updated : Dec 20, 2013 - 10:14

(Target Corp.)

미국 대형 유통업체 '타깃'(Target)은 최근 약 4천만 건의 신용카드와 직불카드를 이용한 지불 정보가 유출됐다고 19일(현지시간) 밝혔다.

타깃은 지난 지난달 27일에서 이달 15일 사이에 미국 내 타깃 매장에서 신용카드와 직불카드를 이용해 상품을 구매한 고객의 계정이 노출됐다고 설명했다.

도둑맞은 정보에는 고객 이름을 비롯, 신용카드 또는 직불카드의 번호, 만기일, 카드 뒷면의 3자리 숫자 보안코드 등이 포함되어 있다.

타깃은 고객 정보가 새나갔다는 것을 인지한 즉시 관계 당국과 금융 관련 관에 통보했으며, 현재 외부 전문업체에 이번 사건을 조사하도록 의뢰하고 이 같은 일이 재발하지 않도록 협조를 다하고 있다고 강조했다.

타깃은 어떻게 고객 지불정보를 도둑맞게 됐는지에 대해 정확하게 밝히지 못하면서도 문제가 해결되어 카드 소지자들은 타깃 매장에서 종전과 같이 쇼핑할 수 있다고 말했다.

연말 쇼핑 시즌을 앞두고 발생한 이번 사고에 대해 신상정보가 안전한지에 대한 소비자들의 우려가 커지고 있다. (연합뉴스)

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Target: 40M card accounts may be breached

U.S. retail chain Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been affected by a data breach that occurred just as the holiday shopping season shifted into high gear.

The chain said that accounts of customers who made purchases using their cards at its U.S. stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have been exposed. The stolen data includes customer names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates and the three-digit security codes located on the backs of cards.

The Minneapolis company said it immediately told authorities and financial institutions once it became aware of the breach and that it is teaming with a third-party forensics firm to investigate the matter and prevent future breaches. It said it is putting all ``appropriate resources'' toward the issue.

Target Corp. advised customers to check their statements carefully. Those who suspect there has been unauthorized activity on their cards should report it to their credit card companies and call Target at 866-852-8680. Cases of identity theft can also be reported to law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.

Target didn't say exactly how the data breach occurred, but said it had since fixed the problem and that credit card holders can continue shopping at its stores.

But news of the breach comes at the height of the holiday shopping season and threatens to scare away shoppers worried about the safety of their personal data.

Target is just the latest retailer to be hit with a data breach problem. TJX Cos., which runs stores such as T.J. Maxx and Marshall's, had a breach that began in July 2005 that exposed at least 45.7 million credit and debit cards to possible fraud. The breach wasn't detected until December 2006. In June 2009 TJX agreed to pay $9.75 million in a settlement with multiple states related to the massive data theft but stressed at the time that it firmly believed it did not violate any consumer protection or data security laws.

An even larger hack hit Sony in 2011. It had to rebuild trust among PlayStation Network gamers after hackers compromised personal information including credit card data on more than 100 million user accounts. Sony was criticized for slowness in alerting users to the breach.

``Target's first priority is preserving the trust of our guests and we have moved swiftly to address this issue, so guests can shop with confidence. We regret any inconvenience this may cause,'' Chairman, President and CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement Thursday.

Target has 1,797 U.S. stores and 124 in Canada. (AP)