Home Depot says 56M cards affected in data breach

By

NEW YORK (NEWS1130) – Home Depot Has eliminated malware from its US and Canadian networks that affected 56 million payment cards between April and September, the home improvement retailer said Thursday.

The Atlanta-based company says that, according to its security partners, criminals used a type of software that hadn’t previously been seen in other attacks.

It says any terminal with the malware has been taken out of service and the company completed introducing new encrypted terminals in all of its US stores on Sept. 13, less than two weeks after the attack was discovered.

Home Depot says it will complete installing new encrypted terminals at its Canadian stores early next year but added they are already equipped to handle credit cards with embedded chips and personal identification numbers.

The company continues to say there is no evidence that debit card personal identification numbers have been compromised or that online shoppers were affected at homedepot.ca or homedepot.com.

Its Mexican stores were also apparently unaffected by the breach.

“We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience this breach may have caused,” the company said in a new posting on its website.

“We also want to emphasize that you will not be liable for any fraudulent charges to your accounts, and we’re offering free identity protection services, including credit monitoring, to any customer who has shopped at a Home Depot store in 2014, from April on.”

Home Depot also said its confirming its sales-growth estimates for the 2014 financial year and expects to earn $4.54 per share in fiscal 2014, up two cents from its prior guidance.

With files from The Associated Press

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today