"Target says that personal information -- including phone numbers and email and mailing addresses -- was stolen from as many as 70 million customers in its pre-Christmas data breach. That was substantially more customers than Target had previously said were affected," writes the Associated Press.
The retailer said Friday that the personal information stolen is not a new breach, but was discovered during its ongoing investigation.
In a post on the company's blog, Target announced that it is offering a year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to all of its customers--not just those affected by the breach. The service will include a free credit report, daily credit monitoring, identity theft insurance where available and access to personalized assistance.
People are taking to Twitter to express frustration and anxiety about the new estimate of affected customers: