Target Data Breach Case Study: Business Development Analysis

This case study examines the 2013 Target data breach, a major cyber security incident that compromised the financial and personal information of millions of customers. The breach, which began with a phishing attack on a third-party vendor, exposed vulnerabilities in Target's network and security protocols, including the failure to act on early warnings from its anti-malware system. The case study details the timeline of events, the financial and reputational damage suffered by Target, and the impact on customers and financial institutions. It highlights the importance of vendor security, data isolation, and proactive incident response. The analysis covers the causes, consequences, and the company's response, including the resignation of the CEO and investments in improved security measures. The study also delves into the financial implications, including legal settlements and the costs of upgrading security systems. Ultimately, the Target data breach serves as a crucial case study for understanding the risks of cyberattacks, the importance of robust security measures, and the need for effective crisis management in the retail industry and is available on Desklib.

Target Breach Case Study
Executive Summary
Xian Sun
Assistant Professor in Finance
Carey Business School
Johns Hopkins University
To cap things off, we found out that Target was the victim of cybercrooks. Between Black
Friday and December 15, hackers collected credit card details on about 40 million people who
had shopped in person at the popular retail chain.
In 2013, Target Corporation’s (Target) security and payment system was breached,
compromising 40 million credit and debit card numbers, along with 70 million addresses, phone
numbers and other personal information [1]. Target was made aware of this situation in mid-
December when the U.S. Department of Justice informed the company that their system was
being attacked [2]. Target had received notifications prior to this date, but had failed to act.
What happened?
Timeline:
 May 2013
FireEye (anti-malware system - $1.6 million) installed but the feature of eradicating
the malware was turned off as mistrusted by Target security personnel


 11/27/13 Breach started.
 11/30/13 FireEye captured the first malware code and issued an alert that was ignored
 12/2/13 Hackers started downloading the collected data to Russia through US servers
 12/12/13 Contacted by Dept of Justice and aware of the breach

 12/13/13
Target executives meet with US. Justice Department

 12/14/13
Target hires a third-party forensics team to investigate the hack

 12/15/13 Learned the criminals hacked the system to gain guest credit and debit and card
information including names, mailing and email address, phone numbers.
 12/15/13 Closed access point and uncovered the problem and had informed authorities and
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financial institutions
 12/18/13 First time published the breach by a blogger
 12/19/13 Target publicly announced and emailed shoppers
 12/20/13 Gregg Steinhafel, a message from CEO Gregg Steinhafel about Target's payment
card issues.
 12/21/13 JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) places daily limits on spending and withdrawals
for its debit card customers affected by the Target breach, begins reissuing cards
and opens some branches on a Sunday to help Target customers.
 12/22/13 Transactions at Target fell 3 percent to 4 percent compared to the year earlier on
Thelast weekend of holiday shopping before Christmas. Other retailers report
strong results.
 12/23/13 Press release, Target data security media update
 Days later Hired security expert at Verizon to probe its network for weakness
 12/27/13 An ongoing investigation by a third-party forensics unit finds that encrypted debit
card PIN information was accessed during the breach, but Target says it believes
PIN numbers remain secure.
 1/10/13 Target says an additional 70 million customers had personal information stolen
during the breach, including emails. The company lowered its forecast for its
fourth quarter, saying sales were meaningfully weaker than expected after news
of the breach.
 1/12/14 CEO confirmed that malware (RAM scraping) installed on POS terminals at
US based stores enabling the theft of financial information.
 1/22/14 Target lays off 475 employees at its headquarters in Minneapolis and worldwide
and leaves another 700 positions unfilled.
 2/4/14 Target CFO John Mulligan testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee,
mentioning the ongoing investigation but offering no new information on who might
have hacked the data. Mulligan says Target has invested hundreds of millions in
data security and rejects claims that its systems weren’t up to par. Other witnesses
discuss the benefits of chip-and- PIN technology, used widely in Europe but not in
the U.S., where banks and retailers have balked at the expense..
 A few
weeks later
Second batch of information compromised, personal information of 70 million
people,
Overlap of at least 12 million people in two groups.
 2/18/14 Costs associated with the data breach topped $200 million, a report from the
Consumer
Bankers Association and Credit Union National Association finds.
 3/7/14 Target lets its employees wear jeans and polos to work in an effort to boost morale
after layoffs and the sales-killing data breach.
 4/30/14 Target says it has committed $100 million to update technology and will introduce
chip-and-PIN technology for itsdebit and credit cards by early 2015.
 5/5/14 Bob DeRodes, a former tech adviser in several federal government agencies, takes
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over as Target’s chief information officer. Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel resigns.
In November and December 2013, cyber thieves executed a successful cyber attack against
Target, one of the largest retail companies in the United States. The attackers surreptitiously
gained access to Target’s computer network, stole the financial and personal information of as
many as 110 million Target customers, and then removed this sensitive information from
Target’s network to a server in Eastern Europe.
In December 2013, just days after a data breach exposed 40 million customer debit and
credit card accounts, Target Corp. hired security experts at Verizon to probe its networks for
weaknesses. The results of that confidential investigation — until now never publicly revealed
— confirm what pundits have long suspected: Once inside Target’s network, there was nothing
to stop attackers from gaining direct and complete access to every single cash register in every
Target store.
Target spokesperson Molly Snyder would neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the
documents referenced in this report, but she maintained that Target has made great strides and is
now an industry leader on cybersecurity.
“We’ve brought in new leaders, built teams, and opened a state-of-the-art cyber fusion
center,” Snyder said. “We are proud of where we stand as a company and will be absolutely
committed to being a leader on cybersecurity going forward.”
The American retailing company was a target (no pun intended) for a cyberattack back in
2013, and it has ended up costing the company $162 million (slightly more than £104 million).
Reason:
He cited the 2013 Target Corp. data breach, which eventually was discovered to have come
from a computer of a heating and air-conditioning firm under contract to the retailer. "It's any
vendor, providing any service, that has a link to that firm's data.[2]
Development of the breach [5]
 Target gave network access to a third-party vendor, a small Pennsylvania HVAC
company, which did not appear to follow broadly accepted information security
practices. The vendor’s weak security allowed the attackers to gain a foothold in
Target’s network.
 Target appears to have failed to respond to multiple automated warnings from the
company’s anti-intrusion software that the attackers were installing malware on
Target’s system.
 Attackers who infiltrated Target’s network with a vendor credential appear to have
successfully moved from less sensitive areas of Target’s network to areas storing
consumer data, suggesting that Target failed to properly isolate its most sensitive
network assets.
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 Target appears to have failed to respond to multiple warnings from the company’s
anti-intrusion software regarding the escape routes the attackers planned to use to
exfiltrate data from Target’s network.
The "hows" and the "whys"[9]
Malware was installed on Target’s payment and security system on November 15, 2013. Access
to the system came from network credentials that were stolen from an HVAC provider based in
Sharpsburg, Penn. Initial speculation was that this vendor was monitoring HVAC systems
installed at Target facilities remotely via network connection and that this was the way hackers
gained entry into Targets internal network. As it turned out, this was not the case [3]. The
compromised data connection was being used for “electronic billing, contract submissions and
project management” [4], not monitoring of equipment. The network credentials were, in
fact, gathered after the HVAC contractor's employee fell victim to a phishing scheme attack and
clicked on a malicious email [5].
Target was not unprepared for the breach. Earlier that year, the company had installed malware
detection software by computer security firm FireEye (high-profile FireEye customers include
the CIA and Pentagon). The FireEye team in Bangalore, India monitored Target’s system around
the clock, and reported the activity to Target’s security team based in Minneapolis, Minn. [6].
Exfiltration malware was installed on November 30, 2013 to move the stolen information out of
the Target servers. These drop points were first staged around the U.S., then to computers in
Russia. It was at this point that the Bangalore team became aware that something was wrong and
notified the Target security team in Minneapolis. For reasons that are unclear,
Target's Minneapolis team failed to act on the alert, allowing customer information to be
compromised [7].
Customer impact:
 Up to 70 million individuals affected
 40 million debit and credit card numbers
 110 million Target customers
 The retailer last year was the No. 7 best- perceived brand among consumers, but not
only did it fall off the top 10 list, it plummeted all the way down to No. 21. [7]
 Impact on bank customers: Members stated that the Target breach caused a major
inconvenience to cardholders, right amid the busy holiday shopping season. Many
bank customers only have a debit card and no longer use checks, so it was a very
significant inconvenience to them.[13]
Financial impact:
 Fourth quarter and full-year 2013 net expense related to the data breach was $17m
(£11m), reflecting $61m (£39m) of gross expense partially offset by the recognition
of a $44m (£28.3m) insurance receivable.”
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 2013 fourth-quarter profits were down 46% compared with the same period the year
before. During that quarter, the company said, it spent $61 million on breach-
related expenses, and executives said they expected the costs to continue.[6]
 Breach-related expenses of $4m (£2.5m) in fourth quarter 2014and full-year net
expense of $145m (£93.4m),which reflects $191m (£123m) of gross expense
partially offset by the recognition of a $46m (£30m) insurance receivable,” the
company said.
 It has ended up costing the company $162 million (slightly more than £104
million).
 Target Corp. has reached a preliminary settlement with banks affected by the
retailer's 2013 breach, agreeing to pay out $39.4 million to the financial institutions.
 Under the terms of the settlement, filed in a St. Paul, Minn., court Wednesday,
banks and credit unions would get about $20.25 million while another $19.11
million would be put toward reimbursing those who issued MasterCards, according
to a report by Reuters.
 Target has reached a $67m agreement with Visa over a massive breach of
customers' payment data during the 2013 holiday shopping season that tarnished its
reputation and raised serious questions about the company's data security systems.
 Target’s much-publicized data breach cost the company more than the $400-$450
million that’s been estimated. [7]
 The Company incurred breach-related expenses of $4 million in fourth quarter 2014
and full-year net expense of $145 million, which reflects $191 million of gross
expense partially offset by the recognition of a $46 million insurance receivable.
Fourth quarter and full-year 2013 net expense related to the data breach was $17
million, reflecting $61 million of gross expense partially offset by the recognition
of a $44 million insurance receivable.[10]
 To sum the math up, Target's gross expenses totaled $252 million, insurance
compensation brought that down to $162 million, and further tax deductions yield a
final $105 million. [10]
Target reaction:
 Hired security expert at Verizon days after announcement
 Resignation of its CIO, a restructuring of its security and IT organization and
the eventual ouster of the company's CEO
 Will spend $100 million switching to the new system including changing its
branded credit and debit Redcards and cost of installing new payment terminals.
Market reaction:
 JPMorgan Chase said in Feb 2014 it would begin issuing some chip- and-PIN-
enabled credit cards this year after the breach.[6]
 Several financial institutions serving central Ohio are contacting their debit- and
credit-card customers who have been affected by the major information breach that
recently struck Target. [8]
 Most of the banks are monitoring customer accounts for fraudulent activity and
telling customers to do the same. [8]
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 Some banks also are limiting per- day purchases and ATM withdrawals with the
cards, or simply reissuing the cards to prevent future fraud. [8]
Costs
Direct cost:
o Investment in systems:
- invest chip-enabled technology in stores and on Target REDcards by early
2015, six months ahead of the previous plan.
- Will spend $100 million switching to the new system including changing its
branded credit and debit Redcards and cost of installing new payment terminals.
o Training employees:
- Hired security expert at Verizon days after breach announcement
o Outsourcing:
Indirect cost:
o Legal penalties
- pay out $39.4 million to mastercard and related banks and credit unions
- pay out $67m agreement with Visa
o Loss of customers
- The retailer in 2013 was the No. 7 best- perceived brand among consumers, but
not only did it fall off the top 10 list, it plummeted all the way down to No. 21.
- Customers stopped using credit card or cancelled it.
o Loss of partnerships/suppliers
- The breach resulted in longer turnaround time for card reissuance due to volume
of requests. Card vendors were reportedly behind for weeks because of the vast
number of cards they needed to produce. One bank experienced delay for
replacement cards up to three months; delay for normal expired cards not
involved in the breach up to two months.
- Impact on bank customers: Members stated that the Target breach caused a
major inconvenience to cardholders, right amid the busy holiday shopping
season. Many bank customers only have a debit card and no longer use checks,
so it was a very significant inconvenience to them. [13]
- Impact on bank operations: The breach caused a major disruption to employees’
daily duties at the bank. [13]
- Impact on bank revenue: Members cited loss of spend on reissued portfolio and
some accounts lost due to failure of customer to activate new card, reducing
spend and revenue. Members also experienced loss of revenue due to legitimate
point of sale declines related to heightened fraud strategies. [13]
- Other costs to bank: In addition to the costs of reissuing cards, survey
participants cited expenses for inbound and outbound phone calls, staff time
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spent on implementing heightened fraud strategies, fraud monitoring, claims
processing, and responding to customer inquiries. [13]
-
o Impair firm reputation and stock value slides
- Since 2011, Target's CSR score -- a measure of the enterprise dimensions of
reputation that include 'workplace,' 'governance,' and 'citizenship' -- fell
dramatically, the largest drop among any U.S. retail company in the same time
frame.[11]
- Target was hit with over 90 lawsuits related to the massive data breach, and
spent over $61 million as of February 1 responding to the attack. [12]
- The stock experienced a 10% drop in price in the aftermath of the security
breach
-
o Spillover effects that impacts the future prospect of the whole industry
Target’s much-publicized data breach cost the company more than the $400-$450 million
that’s been estimated. [7]
Benefits:
Direct benefits:
o Stability of the operating system and avoid loss from system downtime
Indirect benefits:
o Stronger partnership with suppliers
o Attach more customers
o Increase the value of the whole value chain
o More sympathy from shareholders at the event of a cybersecurity attack
- by the end February 2014, Target had experienced the highest percentage stock
price regain in five years.
- Shareholders only react to breach news when it has direct impact on business
operations, such as litigation charges (for example, in the case of Target) or
results in immediate changes to a company’s expected profitability.
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Reference
[1]: Target reaches preliminary $39.4M settlement with banks. SC magazine (US)
[2]: Asset owners demand info on cybersecurity processes. Pensions & Investments
[3]: Bankers group threatens suit over Volcker rule. Washington Post
[4]: Target to pay $67m over Visa data breach. Financial times
[5]: A “Kill Chain”Analysis of the 2013 Target Data Breach. US Senate. Committee on
commerce, science, and transportation
[6]: After data breach target plans to issue more secure chip-and-pin cards. New York
times.
[7]: Amazon Has the Best Consumer Perception of Any Brand. Adweek
[8]: Banks react decisively to Target data breach. The Columbus Dispatch. Dec 27, 2013
[9]: Cyber Security: Target's 2013 Data Breach. Melesio Munoz. Cupertinon Electric Inc.
Sep 21, 2015
[10]: How much do data breaches cost big companies? Shockingly little. Robert Hackett.
Mar 27, 2015. http://fortune.com/2015/03/27/how-much-do-data-breaches-actually-cost-big-
companies-shockingly-little/
[11]: How do Home Depot and Target save their reputation after data breach? The street.
Jason Notte. Sep 27, 2014.
[12]: It turns out Target could have easily prevented its massive security breach. Chris
Smith. Mar 13, 2014.
[13]: Target Breach Impact Survey. American Bankers Associations. Jul 2014.
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