If you’ve been wondering when we entered this current age of cyber crime, the event that signaled the beginning may well have been the 2013 data breach at Target Corporation.

For those who have forgotten it, here’s a brief recap: At the height of the holiday shopping season between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013, Target Corporation was the victim of a cyber attack via malware that entered the company’s point of sale system. 

Before the damage was identified and brought under control, an estimated 40 million credit and debit card accounts were involved and an additional 70 million records had been exposed. All in, 110 million customers had been cyber mugged.

It was an epic breach. If you like superlatives, this is your breach. “Largest” and “historic” are adjectives that are applied to this breach with good reason.

But what continues to surprise is the ongoing financial pain from this breach. Target’s costs from the breach have now reached $202 million. This includes settlements with attorneys general of 47 states (and the District of Columbia) for $18.5 million, $39 million to the banks that issued affected payment cards, and as yet unresolved additional lawsuits that may put the total tab over $220 million for the retailer.

Why should we care? Here’s the most interesting part of this story: Those in a position to know pretty much agree that the breach didn’t begin at Target Corporation. It was from a computer at a company that provided services to Target. Target Corporation was their customer!

It appears that an employee at that third party company opened an attachment in an email and that simple act let the hounds of hell loose. The malware found its way through the vendor’s computers and onto Target’s point of sale system. I’m oversimplifying a bit and experts believe that Target should have had more robust security for its computer systems. But just as “want of a nail” may cause the loss of a kingdom, the simple act of clicking to open an email attachment can have far-reaching consequences.

Something as insignificant as a $7 mouse can cause a whole lot of damage if someone uses it to open an attachment or a link to a website without first considering what may happen.

Here’s the lesson to be learned from Target about our own computer behaviors:

If you are an employee with access to your organization’s computers or you are using a computer at home, please think about Target Corporation before you open any attachment that shows up on your screen. If you are an employer, consider a quick couple of hours of training for your employees and reminders about computer use that may trigger a data breach. And suppliers who have access to your organization’s computer systems need to understand their roles in preventing cyber damage, too.

Target’s saga is a great reminder that no business, town government or non-profit organization can afford to be complacent. That computer mouse may be inexpensive, but misusing it can have a very high cost.

Maine Identity Services, LLC provides data breach and identity theft assistance to individuals, organizations and law enforcement personnel through its books, seminars and police materials. For more information about the company and its products, visit www.meidhelp.com    or email: info@meidhelp.com.