Target Hackers Tapped Vendor Credentials

Target said Wednesday that the hackers who attacked the company employed access credentials that were hardcoded into a product used by the retailer.

"We can confirm that the ongoing forensic investigation has indicated that the intruder stole a vendor's credentials which were used to access our system," Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said Thursday via email.

Target declined to identify the vendor whose credentials attackers had obtained, though confirmed that the attack vector has been blocked. "As we have previously shared, we confirmed the breach on December 15 and were able to eliminate the malware and close the access," she said. "Since that time we have taken extra precautions such as limiting or updating access to some of our platforms while the investigation continues."

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