The world’s biggest home improvement store has just given us the specifics on the lengthy data breach it confirmed a little over a week ago.
According to the company, the attack put 56 million credit cards at risk.
“Criminals used unique, custom-built malware to evade detection. The malware had not been seen previously in other attacks, according to Home Depot’s security partners. The cyber-attack is estimated to have put payment card information at risk for approximately 56 million unique payment cards,” said Home Depot.
The attack was carried out from April to September.
The company assures customers that the malware has been identified and eliminated. Also, its beginning to employ “enhanced encryption” measures.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and anxiety this has caused, and want to reassure them that they will not be liable for fraudulent charges,” said Frank Blake, chairman and CEO. “From the time this investigation began, our guiding principle has been to put our customers first, and we will continue to do so.”
The breach, the biggest and most high-profile hack on a retailer since Target was attacked last year, affects customers in the US and Canada. Home Depot says it doesn’t believe any debit PIN information was compromised.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
