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Target agrees to settlement with Michigan after data breach

Target Corp. has agreed to an $18.5 million settlement -- including $399,459.58 for Michigan -- as a result of the retail giant's 2013 data breach.

Target store file photo

Target Corp. has agreed to an $18.5 million settlement -- including $399,459.58 for Michigan -- as a result of the retail giant's 2013 data breach.

Michigan consumers won't get any cash, though. The settlement money goes into the state's General Fund.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Tuesday said that the state's Corporate Oversight Division -- along with attorneys general in 46 other states and the District of Columbia -- negotiated the settlement with Target.

"Target's data breach broke some of the trust they had built with consumers and hopefully their willingness to change their security practices will restore faith in the company," Schuette said in a statement.

The breach involved contact information for more than 70 million customers nationwide, as well as payment account-related information for more than 41 million customers.

Cyber attackers accessed Target's gateway server through credentials stolen from a third party vendor. The thieves loaded malware and accessed data from Target's point-of-sale systems.

Names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, payment card numbers, expiration dates and other data were stolen.

Contact Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com or 313-222-8876. Follow her on Twitter @Tompor.

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