MINNEAPOLIS — Days after one of the worst security breaches in retail history, Target is scrambling to prevent further damage to its corporate reputation and regain the trust of some investors and consumers.

The nation’s No. 2 retailer was initially caught flat-footed, several analysts say, when a computer security blog broke news last week that thieves had stolen credit card information from an estimated 40 million customers. Since then, Minneapolis-based Target has launched a fierce public relations counterattack, with daily news briefings and a flurry of photos and statements designed to show the company aggressively responding to arguably the worst crisis in its 50-year-plus history.

“Thousands of Target team members, including our most senior leaders, have been working around the clock to help make this right for our guests,” according to a post on A Bullseye View, Target’s online newsletter. “From call centers to our financial services team to technology teams throughout the company, we will not rest until every guest need is met.” The post included several photos that showed CEO Gregg Steinhafel meeting with the company’s top executive team.

Public relations specialists say Target is trying to gain on a fast-moving story that replaced last-minute Christmas shopping as the dominant retail-related topic of discussion. National and local media outlets jumped on a report last week by online journalist Brian Krebs about the widespread data theft, which occurred from Nov. 27 into the first weeks of December.

Although the U.S. Secret Service quickly confirmed it was investigating the theft, Target did not issue a statement until the next morning.