Hackers who could be sitting at a computer anywhere in the world hacked into the Target Corporation system during the holiday shopping season, stealing credit card and debit card information from millions of shoppers. They used a program developed by a teen-aged computer expert in Russia. Two Mexican citizens are arrested in Texas with 96 fraudulent credit cards, which were used to buy tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise from national retailers.

Truly, the Target data breach was an international crime that makes it difficult for U.S. authorities to catch and prosecute the perpetrators.

The Russian teen believed to have written the malware put it out online, where it was mutated and sold by others. Whoever used the code to breach Target security now seems to be selling batches of credit card information by region to people who create fraudulent cards. Those most likely to be arrested are like the two in Texas, those who go out and use those cards. These people are the tail end of the snake. Those who profit most from the crime will remain safe wherever they are, most likely in countries where American justice cannot reach them.

That may be the most frustrating part of this whole debacle, that those most responsible may never have to face justice for it.