Teen Is Behind Target Data Breach

According to a report released Friday by the cyber intelligence group IntelCrawler, a 17-year-old Russian man, username “ree4,” appears to have been the author of the point-of-sale malware used for the Target, Neiman Marcus, and six other large U.S. retailers, maybe more.

Slate’s Lily Hay Newman reports that the source of the latest data breaches of Target, Neiman Marcus, and other retailers is a 17-year-old Russian who created the software sold to “more than 60 Eastern European cybercriminals” that was later used in the hacks. Newman also points out that Neiman Marcus was hacked as early as July, didn’t find out until December, and decided not to disclose the hack until January when a reporter discovered the issue. How soon should a company alert its customers when it discovers a data breach? Also, how terrifying are teens?

Photo: ttarasiuk

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