Alleged TJX Hacker Indicted For Heartland, Hannaford Hacks

One of the hackers who is currently facing charges for data breaches at TJX has also been indicted for the breaches at Heartland Payment Systems, Hannaford Brothers, and other major retailers.

According to a reportpublished today by Wired magazine, a newly-unsealed indictment accuses Albert "Segvec" Gonzalez of playing a part in attacks on Heartland, Hannaford, 7-Eleven Inc., and two other major unnamed retailers.

Gonzalez is already facing charges stemming from the breach of TJX, BJ's Wholesale Club, Barnes & Noble, and Dave & Buster's.

Prosecutors say they're investigating other breaches and have not ruled out Gonzalez's involvement in even more intrusions, according to Wired.

"[The fact that] we're not seeing a huge array of hackers capable of doing this, but rather a more select group, demonstrates that there is a level of sophistication involved in these hacks," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Erez Liebermann from the Justice Department's New Jersey district office.

According to the court document, the hackers stole more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from Heartland and Hannaford combined, which authorities believe constitutes the largest data breach and identity theft case ever prosecuted in the U.S.

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