Target Starts Security, Compliance Makeover

The departure of Target's CIO Wednesday and the creation of a dedicated chief information security officer position and a new compliance officer began a new chapter in the retailer's post-breach security posture.

Security experts say that aside from the executive changes and reorganization, there are other holes the mega-retailer will have to plug to prevent another massive breach like the one that resulted in the theft of 40 million customer credit and debit card numbers and the names and contact information of up to 70 million people.

CISO duties at Target previously had been split among multiple people. The new CISO at Target will have centralized oversight and responsibilities for the retailer's information security, as Target's executive VP of Target Technology Services and Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob has now left the post she had held since 2008.

Raj Ramanand, founder and CEO of Signifyd, said it's surprising that the CIO was managing security duties at Target. "In most large enterprises, the CISO has a direct reporting line to the board of directors and to the CIO of the company," he says. "I'm surprised by the fact that this was all being managed by the CIO and they didn't have separate officers in charge."

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