Off target

Target's 40 mln hackees only tip of iceberg

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Target's 40 million hackees are only the tip of the iceberg. The American retailer has confirmed on a huge number of possible victims after credit card data was stolen from customers using its US stores. Fake ATMs are a well-known, if much clunkier, hardware danger. But consumers who go online, especially with mobile devices, are running greater risks.

Initial reports suggest Target's in-store card readers were hacked, and card information lifted, for almost three weeks starting just before the Thanksgiving holiday. If so, that may have involved the installation of dodgy software on the company's point-of-sale network, either by breaking in from outside or, more likely, with willing or unknowing inside help.

Although in this case a corporate system was probably compromised - an example of one class of cybersecurity worry - Target's customers have been harmed more directly than the store chain itself. Such high-profile hacks are a good reminder of the vulnerabilities consumers face in an interconnected world. But they run plenty of other, potentially bigger, risks over which they have more control.

Include the receipt of phishing emails, viruses and so on as well as actual fraud and other crimes, and there may be 378 million victims of some form of cybercrime worldwide every year, according to an October report from security firm Symantec. Factoring in device repairs and theft, the report's authors found that the cost per victim of cybercrime was up by about 50 percent on the previous year to nearly $300.

Yet as smartphone and tablet sales soar globally, people aren't getting the security message. Nearly half of mobile users don't take basic precautions like password-protecting their devices or backing them up. Almost a third will happily do online banking or shopping using unsecured wireless connections. The Symantec report reveals a much higher "security IQ" on desktop computers - presumably thanks to the longer and more corporate experience of the risks.

It's easy to imagine mobile users getting nasty security shocks in the coming year, adding to the growing rumble of cybersecurity concerns for companies and for internet users in general. This time, the victims can point the finger at Target. When the target is their own smartphone or tablet, they'll only be able to blame themselves.