FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    Tuesday, May 23, 2017

CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605) 773-3215

PIERRE, S.D. –   Attorney General Jackley today announced that South Dakota has joined with 46 other states and the District of Columbia in an $18.5 million settlement with the Target Corporation to resolve the states' investigation into the retail company's 2013 data breach. South Dakota will receive $174,248 as part of the settlement.

“This is a strong reminder that data breaches are sadly becoming more common and we must all guard against those who attempt to take personal identifying information and cause financial harm. Every consumer in South Dakota should get in the habit of accessing their free credit report to be alerted on matters affecting their credit,” said Jackley.

The states' investigation, found that, on or about November 12, 2013, cyber attackers accessed Target's gateway server through credentials stolen from a third-party vendor. The credentials were then used to exploit weaknesses in Target's system, which allowed the attackers to access a customer service database; to install malware on the system and to capture data, including consumer data comprised of full names, telephone numbers, email addresses and mailing addresses; payment card numbers, expiration dates and CVV1 codes; and encrypted debit PINs.

The settlement requires Target to maintain and support appropriate security software on its network; to maintain appropriate encryption policies, particularly as it pertains to cardholder and personal information data; to segment its cardholder data environment from the rest of its computer network; and to undertake steps to control access to its network, including implementing password rotation policies and two-factor authentication for certain accounts.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division encourages consumers to continue the practice of checking their credit reports on a regular basis with the three nationwide credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 for a free copy of your credit report. Consumers are entitled to a free copy from each company every 12 months.  If consumers find errors on their report, contact the reporting agency in writing.

Consumers can also place a fraud alert on their credit reports to help mitigate potential issues by contacting the three credit reporting agencies:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian:   1-888-397-3742
TransUnion:   1-800-680-7289

-30-