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Target to Pay $10 Million to Settle Data Breach Lawsuit

Summary: Target agrees to pay $10 million in data breach lawsuit.

When Target was hit with a data breach in 2013, the entire world was informed. After all, 40 million credit cards were compromised, and this from shopping in the holiday season, exposing the private information of 110 million people. A lawsuit against Target was inevitable.

Target did attempt to scuttle the process, claiming consumers lacked standing to establish any injury, but a U.S. judge rejected that argument.

Now Target Corp has agreed to pay $10 million, putting the money in an interest bearing escrow account, and paying individual complainers up to $10,000 apiece in damages.

Further, per court orders, Target will manage these complaints through an online website.

As well, Target has been required to improve their data security, in part by appointing a chief information security officer and maintaining a written information security program.

“We are pleased to see the process moving forward and look forward to its resolution,” said Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder.

Whether or not such measures will prevent further attacks, and serve as a cautionary tale for other venders to amp up their security, remains to be seen. These organized attacks on large fronts have repeatedly occurred over the years.

News Source: Fortune

Daniel June: Daniel June studied English literature at Michigan State University, graduating in 2003. Working a potpourri of jobs since, from cake-decorator to proofreader, his passion has always been writing, resulting in books of essays, novels, and children’s novellas.