Target Says Encrypted PIN Information Stolen in Breach

Target Corp. said data related to shoppers’ personal identification numbers was stolen during the recent breach of its debit and credit card system and that it’s “confident” customers’ accounts haven’t been compromised because the information was encrypted.

The PIN data that was removed can only be decrypted when it is received by Target’s external, independent payment processor, Molly Snyder, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based retailer, said today in an e-mailed statement. The key needed to decrypt the information never existed on Target’s system and couldn’t have been taken during the breach, she said.