Couple arrested in connection with Target credit card breach and a 17-year-old Russian teen suspected of being the architect of the malware which affected 100million customers

• New York Post

Baby-faced teen’s malware eyed in Target data breach

By Kaja Whitehouse

January 18, 2014 | 6:59am

 

Security company IntelCrawler posted these Web images of a 17-year-old Russian it says may be the architect of the malware that hacked up to 110 million Target customers, and of online chats (left) it used to track him.

This baby-faced teen is a key suspect in developing the software that was used in the massive security breach that hit as many as 110 million Target shoppers last holiday season, according to a shocking new report.
In addition, the malicious software, or malware, has infected the payment systems of six other retailers — a possible sign that a half-dozen other attacks are underway, a California cyber-security firm said in the report.
The firm, IntelCrawler, which has tracked the malware’s architect for months, said on Friday that its main suspect is a 17-year-old with “roots” in St.Petersburg, Russia, who goes by the online nickname “ree4.”

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Mexican couple arrested crossing into the US in connection with Target credit card breach which affected 100million customers

• McAllen, Texas Police arrested Mary Carmen Garcia, 27, and Daniel Guardiola Dominguez, 28, on Sunday

• The couple were crossing into the U.S. with credit cards believed to contain stolen account information from Target customers

• An estimated 100million Target customers had their personal information released in a December security breach

By Ashley Collman
PUBLISHED: 18:10 EST, 20 January 2014 | UPDATED: 18:29 EST, 20 January 2014
Two Mexican nationals were arrested in south Texas yesterday in connection to the December Target credit card breach which compromised the personal bank information of an estimated 100million customers.

McAllen, Texas police arrested 27-year-old Mary Carmen Garcia and 28-year-old Daniel Guardiola Dominguez as they were trying to cross into the U.S. from Reynosa, Mexico. Both are from Monterrey, Mexico.

Police say the couple crossed into the U.S. last weekend with 100 fraudulent cards and spent tens of thousands of dollars and brought an addition 96 cards with them on Sunday.

Arrested: Police arrested 27-year-old Mary Carmen Garcia (left) and 28-year-old Daniel Guardiola Dominguez (right)  trying to cross into the U.S. Sunday with credit card information believed to have been acquired in a December security breach of Target

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Russian teen misidentified in Target breach, expert says

Published January 20, 2014

FoxNews.com

• 
  The Russian teenager identified as the author behind the software used in the security breach that hit Target Corp. during the crucial holiday season may be incorrect. (AP)

A cyber security firm that fingered a Russian teen for the malware used to steal 70 million Target customers' credit card numbers appears to be backing off, but not quite backing down.
Last week, California-based IntelCrawler named 17-year-old Sergey Tarasov as the kid behind the massive breach, saying he had "roots" in St. Petersburg and goes by the online nickname "ree4." Tarasov was subsequently identified in numerous media reports. But in an update to its report released Monday, IntelCrawler said another author crafted the code, though it still accused Tarasov of playing a role in the breach.
"Three days ago, IntelCrawler researchers claimed that they had found out who is the brains behind the malware used in the Target breach," security expert Brian Krebs told FoxNews.com in an email. "A couple of hours ago, IntelCrawler changed their version of the events, publishing data that links another Russian VK profile to the affair, this time Rinat Shabayev."

So Intelcrawler apparently just changed its mind about the guy responsible for the Target POS malware. Now they have the right guy
— briankrebs (@briankrebs) January 20, 2014

IntelCrawler had originally released the name of Sergey Tarasov, which Krebs says was misspelled as Taraspov. While IntelCrawler has revised its initial report, the company still believes Tarasov is connected to the malware.

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