Hackers may have used Pa. company to hit Target

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http://www.adn.com/2014/02/07/3311811/pa-vendor-confirms-link-to-target.html



Fazio Mechanical Services Inc. in Sharpsburg, Pa. is seen on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. The western Pennsylvania heating and refrigeration contractor issued a statement late Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 saying it was the victim of a "sophisticated cyberattack operation." The statement came days after Internet security bloggers identified it as the third-party vendor through which hackers accessed Target's computer systems.

Hackers may have used Pa. company to hit Target
By BREE FOWLER and JOE MANDAK
The Associated Press
February 7, 2014 Updated 7 minutes ago

NEW YORK — The hackers who stole millions of customers' credit and debit card numbers from Target may have used a Pittsburgh-area heating and refrigeration business as the back door to get in.

If that was, in fact, how they pulled it off — and investigators appear to be looking at that theory — it illustrates just how vulnerable big corporations have become as they expand and connect their computer networks to other companies to increase convenience and productivity.

Fazio Mechanical Services Inc., a contractor that does business with Target, said in a statement Thursday that it was the victim of a "sophisticated cyberattack operation," just as Target was. It said it is cooperating with the Secret Service and Target to figure out what happened.

The statement came days after Internet security bloggers identified the Sharpsburg, Pa., company as the third-party vendor through which hackers penetrated Target's computer systems.