Target says it ignored early signs of data breach

Target Corp. is acknowledging its security software picked up on suspicious activity after a massive cyberattack was launched, but it decided not to take immediate action.

The acknowledgement comes after a media report said Thursday that Target's security team in Bangalore received security alerts on Nov. 30 that indicated malicious software had appeared in its network. It then flagged the security team at its home office in Minneapolis.

Target says the security team determined that it "did not warrant immediate follow-up" based on their "interpretation and evaluation of that activity."

The development comes nearly three months after Target revealed that hackers stole credit card numbers and personal data of millions of its customers. Target's sales, profit and stock prices have dropped in the wake of the massive breach.

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