A report by tech security company McAfee stated that the hackers who managed to pull off the massive Target security breach used basic skills to get into the system.
McAfee officials called the online assault a "Breach 101 operation," according to the Star Tribune.
This account directly contrasts a previous record released by the United States Secret Service, which stated that the thieves behind the breach executed an organized, "highly technical" and "sophisticated" hack.
But manager of McAfee's Threat Intelligence Service Jim Walter told the Tribune that the criminals employed relatively straight-forward methods to get into Target's interface. Using a combination of modified malware and steps to conceal the malware into Target's point-of-sale platform, the thieves did not encrypt instructions for the stolen card's data location, nor the card's information altogether. When the credit card data was moved to a remote server, the stream of information was open and easily accessible for anyone to nab.
"The BlackPOS malware family is an 'off-the-shelf' exploit kit for sale that can easily be modified and redistributed with little programming skill or knowledge of malware functionality," the report read.
"It's all just there in black and white," Walter told the Tribune. "As an attack, it is extremely unimpressive and unremarkable."
But Walter, who wrote the Target portion of MacAfee's fourth quarter threats report, maintained that he wasn't "passing any sort of judgment" on Target.
Target reps said they wouldn't comment on the report, which contrasts previous accounts that the attack was complicated and lengthy.
"While the investigation into this highly sophisticated crime is continuing, we remain committed to understanding the facts and making improvements," spokesperson Molly Snyder told the Tribune.
Criminals managed to gain the information and records of almost 110 million Target credit cards at the end of 2013, after breaking through Internet security walls. Officials tasked with the investigation are still unsure of the details of the massive breach.
