Holder: DOJ probing Target data breach

Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday the Department of Justice is investigating the data breach at retail giant Target.

{mosads}Late last year, Target announced it had suffered a data breach, making vulnerable the financial and personal information of tens of thousands of customers.

Holder confirmed the department’s investigation during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday and said the agency will work to track down the parties who committed the fraud as well as those who exploit the stolen data.

During his opening statement at the hearing, committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called on Congress “to ensure that the huge amounts of data that are collected, shared and stored by businesses are kept safe from the growing threats of data breaches and identity theft.”

The Judiciary Committee will hold a data breach hearing next week, including testimony from Target’s chief financial officer and representatives from the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and the Secret Service.