How Did It Happen?  This is just my supposition on how the
Target breach occurred, but it is based on what has been
released to date plus what limited knowledge I have of Target’s
environment, the environments of other large retailers and my
many years of penetration testing.  Fazio Mechanical Services
According to the latest reporting, Fazio Mechanical Services
(Fazio) is believed to be the starting point of the Target
breach.  From what has been reported, a Phishing attack on Fazio
yielded access to Fazio’s computer systems and network.  In
their statement regarding the breach, Fazio says:   “Fazio
Mechanical does not perform remote monitoring or control of
heating, cooling or refrigeration systems for Target.”  “Our
data connection with Target was exclusively for electronic
billing, contract submission and project management, and Target
is the only customer for whom we manage these processes on a
remote basis. No other customers have been affected by the
breach.”  If we take Fazio at their word, Fazio did