Target

In one of the most significant retail cyber attacks, Target faced a devastating breach in 2013 that exposed 41 million payment cards and contact information for approximately 70 million customers. Utilizing a spear phishing attack aimed at a third-party vendor to gain network access, attackers deployed malware to capture customer data over two months. The aftermath of this breach saw the departure of Target’s CEO and the company incurring costs around $290 million. This included fines of $18.5 million to settle nationwide claims, alongside expenses for remediation, consulting, and other related payments. The breach not only highlighted the vulnerabilities associated with third-party vendors but also emphasized the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures in protecting sensitive customer information.

Source: https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/10-major-retail-industry-cyber-attacks/

TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/target

"id": "tar900050724",
"linkid": "target",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "09/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '70 million',
                        'industry': 'Retail',
                        'name': 'Target',
                        'type': 'Retail'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Spear Phishing',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '41 million payment cards and 70 '
                                              'million contact information '
                                              'records',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Contact Information',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Payment Card Information',
                                              'Contact Information']},
 'date_detected': '2013',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2013',
 'description': 'In one of the most significant retail cyber attacks, Target '
                'faced a devastating breach in 2013 that exposed 41 million '
                'payment cards and contact information for approximately 70 '
                'million customers. Utilizing a spear phishing attack aimed at '
                'a third-party vendor to gain network access, attackers '
                'deployed malware to capture customer data over two months. '
                'The aftermath of this breach saw the departure of Target’s '
                'CEO and the company incurring costs around $290 million. This '
                'included fines of $18.5 million to settle nationwide claims, '
                'alongside expenses for remediation, consulting, and other '
                'related payments. The breach not only highlighted the '
                'vulnerabilities associated with third-party vendors but also '
                'emphasized the critical need for robust cybersecurity '
                'measures in protecting sensitive customer information.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': '41 million payment cards and contact '
                                'information for 70 million customers',
            'financial_loss': '$290 million',
            'legal_liabilities': '$18.5 million in fines',
            'operational_impact': 'Departure of Target’s CEO',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Third-party vendor'},
 'lessons_learned': 'The critical need for robust cybersecurity measures in '
                    'protecting sensitive customer information and the '
                    'vulnerabilities associated with third-party vendors',
 'motivation': 'Financial Gain',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Vulnerabilities associated with '
                                           'third-party vendors'},
 'regulatory_compliance': {'fines_imposed': '$18.5 million'},
 'title': 'Target Data Breach',
 'type': 'Data Breach',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Third-party vendor access'}