Information System Security: Analysis of the Target Data Breach Case

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Target Corporation data breach in 2013, which resulted in the compromise of millions of credit and debit card numbers and customer data. The report examines the causes of the breach, including vulnerabilities in security protocols, third-party access, and the use of poorly designed software. It highlights the role of malware and the lack of robust security measures in enabling the attack. The discussion includes the lessons learned from the incident, such as the importance of implementing strong security protocols, restricting third-party access, and using updated firewalls and antivirus software to prevent future cyberattacks. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for proactive security measures to protect against cyber threats and maintain data security. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the incident, including the causes, consequences, and recommendations for improved security practices, serving as a valuable case study for information system security.

Running head: INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY
Information system security
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Lessons Learnt.................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................2
References........................................................................................................................................4

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Introduction
This report discusses about a case study of data breach in a company. There are various cyber-
attacks reported all over the world. This has been a great threat to the companies in the word. A
critical analysis of the case study has been provided in the report. The cause of the data breach
has been provided with proper explanation. There are some recommendations provide for
mitigating issues related to cyber-attacks.
Discussion
In 2013, Target Corporation Security and Payment System was breached. This had caused loss of
40 million credit and debit card numbers and 70 million addresses and phone numbers of the
customers. This has caused a huge loss to the company and customers. The share market of the
company had gone down drastically after this attack (Interactive, 2017).
Malwares were installed on the security system of the company on November 15, 2013. The
access to the system was stolen from an HVAC provider based in Sharpsburg, Penn (Mikhed &
Vogan, 2017). The comprised data was used for the electronic billing in the company, the
hackers have hacked all this data and information that have caused a major threat to the
company.
As commented by Rosati et al., (2017), there are various causes of the attack. The lack of good
security protocol was th main reason for this attack. The security of the system in the company
was not good. The third party authentication was not enabled in the company (Garner, 2017).
The HVAC unit was not responsible for the security of the system. The use of the bad designed
software and lack of antivirus have put hand in the data breach (Scott, 2017). The cyber-attacks
have been a common thing now all over the world. Therefore. There is a need of implementation
of security measures in the systems of the company.
Lessons Learnt
The above discussion focuses upon the security breaches in an organization. The discussion have
helped in understanding about the causes of the information security breaches. The use of the
various strategies for mitigating the issues has been focused.
Conclusion

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INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY
It can be concluded that the use of the security measures have helped in maintaining the security
breaches in the company. The Target Corporation security has faced a data breach in the market.
The use of the updated firewalls and antivirus might help in restricting dangerous virus and
malwares from entering into the security system of the company. The firewalls will help in
restricting the dangerous viruses and malwares from entering into the network of the company.
The restriction for the third party interaction in the system reduces the risk of data breach in the
company. The use of strong passwords might help in increasing the complexity of the access to
the system of the company. The passwords must be eight characters long and combination of the
letters and numbers. This makes complex to break the passwords. Therefore, these measures
helps in improving the security of the company over the internet.

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References
Garner, R. L. (2017). Evaluating Solutions to Cyber Attack Breaches of Health Data: How
Enacting a Private Right of Action for Breach Victims Would Lower Costs. Ind. Health
L. Rev., 14, 127.
Mikhed, V., & Vogan, M. (2017). How Data Breaches Affect Consumer Credit.
Rosati, P., Cummins, M., Deeney, P., Gogolin, F., van der Werff, L., & Lynn, T. (2017). The
effect of data breach announcements beyond the stock price: Empirical evidence on
market activity. International Review of Financial Analysis, 49, 146-154.
Scott, L. (2017). One Data Breach Each Day in 2016—Another Reason Experts Say Focus on
Cyber Risk Now.
Interactive, C. (2017). Cyber Security Case Study: Target Data Breach. Cei.com. Retrieved 1
November 2017, from http://www.cei.com/about-cei/media-room/blog/cyber-security-
targets-2013-data-breach