Dive Brief:

• Verizon Communications data security unit has discovered two more retailers besides Target and Neiman Marcus were hacked during the holiday shopping season last year.

• Its investigators have contacted and are working with law enforcement, but nobody at Verizon or the U.S. Secret Service would reveal which retailers were hacked or any further details.

• Target’s breach occurred because security protocols weren’t followed and data was easily available, giving a vendor’s email containing malware access to its systems.

Dive Insight:

This discovery shows that, as many investigators have feared, the data incursion that went on at Target and Neiman Marcus late last year was just the beginning. Now the question is — where does this end? No doubt we will soon find out which retailers were affected in this discovery and how many of their customers were affected. In the meantime, all retailers should be working to tighten up their data security — and not just at point of sale.