In a federal indictment in New Jersey, five men were charged with conspiring in a worldwide hacking and data breach scheme that targeted major corporate networks, stole millions of credit card numbers and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

This is the largest data breach to be prosecuted in the U.S. to date, and the investigation to catch the hackers was led by the U.S. Secret Service.

Five defendants -- from Russia and the Ukraine -- allegedly sought corporate victims engaged in financial transactions, retailers that received and transmitted financial data, and other institutions with information they could exploit for profit. The list includes: NASDAQ, 7-Eleven, Carrefour, JCP, Hannaford, Heartland, Wet Seal, Commidea, Dexia, JetBlue, Dow Jones, Euronet, Visa, Jordon, Global Payment, Diners Singapore and Ingenicard.

"Those who have the expertise and inclination to break into our computer networks threaten our economic well-being, our privacy and national security," said U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. "This case shows there's a real practical cost because these types of frauds increase the cost of doing business for every American consumer, every day."

The defendants are charged with spearheading a worldwide hacking conspiracy that victimized a wide array of consumers and entities, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

The attacks

In a