Amid data breach fallout, Target loses CIO

Target’s chief information officer is stepping down, months after the retailer revealed that as many as 110 million people may have had their financial or personal data stolen by hackers.

Beth Jacob is stepping down amid a wider overhaul to revamp the Minneapolis-based company’s security systems.

“While we are still in the process of an ongoing investigation, we recognize that the information security environment is evolving rapidly,” CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement.

{mosads}“To ensure that Target is well positioned following the data breach we suffered last year, we are undertaking an overhaul of our information security and compliance structure and practices at Target. As a first step in this effort, Target will be conducting an external search for an interim CIO who can help guide Target through this transformation.”

Steinhafel added that the company will also be hiring both a chief information security officer and a chief compliance officer.

Jacob had been in her post since 2008.

The move comes as the company is reeling from the massive hack and weeks after hiring lobbyists to push lawmakers on data breach issues. 

The company’s disclosure that it had been hacked during the holiday shopping season last year triggered alarm around the country and on Capitol Hill. News that outlets like Neiman Marcus and the University of Maryland had been hacked, too, highlighted the concerns and triggered a wave of congressional hearings.

Members of Congress have been pushing a handful of laws in response to the disclosures, but support has yet to coalesce around a single legislative response.