Russian Teen Sergey Taraspov created BlackPOS malware used in Target, Neiman Marcus security breach
By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Jan 19, 2014 04:11 PM EST
A Russian teen named Sergey Taraspov was identified as the creator of the BlackPOS malware responsible for the massive security breaches of retail chains, Target and Neiman Marcus.
Security firm IntelCrawler reported Friday that it has pinpointed the creator, who they affirmed wasn't directly involved in the security breaches of the two retailers, but rather sold the software to cybercriminals in Eastern Europe.
Andrew Komarov, the company's Chief Executive Officer, explained in an interview that it was possible for Neiman Marcus and Target to be breached after the software attempted several easy passwords to remotely hack the stores' registers. The malware, called BlackPOS, has also been downloaded more than 60 times, the CEO added.
The massive Target security breach following a Black Friday shopping rush affected almost 110 million shoppers. Retailer Neiman Marcus has not yet disclosed how many of its customers were affected and what kind of data was stolen.
Karen Katz, the luxury brand's Chief Executive Officer, announced in an official statement that the company is "very sorr" for the breach. "We want you always to feel confident shopping," the CEO added.
A 17-year-old Russuan national from St. Petersburg was reportedly responsible fothe malicious software that was reponsible for data from Target and Neiman Marcus to be stiolen, said a California-based security agency.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Komarov said, citing research and analytical proof that there are more than six ongoing attacks within U.S. retailers or merchants that use online credit card processing.
U.S. officials have launched an all-out investigation into the Target and Neiman Marcus breaches, considering a possible connection.
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