Target says it investigated but dismissed early signs of breach

Target said Thursday it investigated but ultimately dismissed early signs of a data breach, a decision it likely regrets after suffering one of the largest payment-card and personal-data breaches on record.

The retailer said it logs a vast number of technical events each week, and “a small amount of [the criminals’] activity was logged and surfaced to our team. That activity was evaluated and acted upon,” Molly Snyder, a Target spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement on Thursday.