Target Starts Security, Compliance Makeover

With CIO departing, security and compliance get a higher profile at the beleaguered retailer in the wake of its massive data breach.

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The departure of Target's CIO Wednesday and the creation of a dedicated chief information security officer position and a new compliance officer began a new chapter in the retailer's post-breach security posture.

Security experts say that aside from the executive changes and reorganization, there are other holes the mega-retailer will have to plug to prevent another massive breach like the one that resulted in the theft of 40 million customer credit and debit card numbers and the names and contact information of up to 70 million people.

CISO duties at Target previously had been split among multiple people. The new CISO at Target will have centralized oversight and responsibilities for the retailer's information security, as Target's executive VP of Target Technology Services and Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob has now left the post she had held since 2008.

Raj Ramanand, founder and CEO of Signifyd, said it's surprising that the CIO was managing security duties at Target. "In most large enterprises, the CISO has a direct reporting line to the board of directors and to the CIO of the company," he says. "I'm surprised by the fact that this was all being managed by the CIO and they didn't have separate officers in charge."

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About the Author

Kelly Jackson Higgins, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Reading

Kelly Jackson Higgins is the Editor-in-Chief of Dark Reading. She is an award-winning veteran technology and business journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting and editing for various publications, including Network Computing, Secure Enterprise Magazine, Virginia Business magazine, and other major media properties. Jackson Higgins was recently selected as one of the Top 10 Cybersecurity Journalists in the US, and named as one of Folio's 2019 Top Women in Media. She began her career as a sports writer in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and earned her BA at William & Mary. Follow her on Twitter @kjhiggins.

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