Target Data Breach Victims May Not Know Effects For Years To Come

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — It could be today, it could be weeks, or even years from now.

Up to 40 million credit card numbers stolen in the Target data breach are up for sale on the black market, and customers may not even know they're victims for a long time to come.

What's being called the second-largest data breach in the United States is in the early stages of a criminal and forensic investigation.

Ryan Petta, the owner of East Sac Computer Repair, sees hacking on a small scale. He says the Target hackers seemed sophisticated and smart, going for the software Target uses to process its transactions.

"They may have had some inside knowledge. They may be very talented hackers that decided to put their resources at this one application, and they found a hole and they were able to get in," Petta said.

Security blogger Brian Krebs published photos of a man he says is now selling Target customer information for as much as $100 apiece.

It's possible that victims may not know they've been affected right away.

"It may be that they've only sold one percent of the data that's been stolen, and nine months from now, your card may be used," Petta said.

Shoppers have filed at least 15 class-action complaints against Target nationwide, which declined CBS13's request for an interview.