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Home Depot settles consumer lawsuit over big 2014 data breach
Reuters Home Depot Inc (HD.N) agreed to pay at least $ 19.5 million to compensate U.S. consumers harmed by a 2014 data breach affecting more than 50 million cardholders. The home improvement retailer will set up a $ 13 million fund to reimburse shoppers for … Home Depot Agrees To Pay $ 20M To Settle 2014 Data Breach Lawsuit |
Home Depot has shed more light on a recent data breach that compromised 56 million payment cards, saying hackers used login credentials belonging to another company to access its network. It also revealed that 53 million email addresses were also stolen.
The stolen login credentials didn’t provide direct access to its point-of-sale terminals, Home Depot said. But once inside, the hackers gained “elevated rights” that allowed them to navigate to other parts of its network and install their malware on self-checkout systems in the U.S. and Canada.
The retailer didn’t identify the third-party vendor that was compromised. A Home Depot spokesman said the attack is still under investigation and the company could not comment further.
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In addition to the 56 million credit cards exposed in the recent breach at Home Depot, investigators have now revealed that more than 53 million email addresses were stolen too.
Naked Security – Sophos
The breach of Home Depot’s payment systems may have compromised 56 million payment cards as a result of malware that has since been eliminated, the company said Thursday.
Attackers used unique, custom-built malware to evade detection, the company said in an update on its investigation. The malware was present between April and September of this year, the firm said in a statement. Terminals identified with malware have been taken out of service.
The retailer confirmed in September that its payment systems had been breached at stores in the U.S. and Canada, though it did not provide many more details.
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