Not only were 56 million credit card numbers stolen from Home Depot earlier this year, investigators have now revealed that more than 53 million email addresses were exposed as well.
What information was breached? In addition to the previously disclosed payment card data, Home Depot has issued in a statement that separate files containing approximately 53 million email addresses were also taken during the breach. These files did not contain passwords, payment card information or other sensitive personal information.
How did it happen? According to the home improvement retailer, the hackers initially accessed its network back in April using a third-party vendor’s username and password. The hackers were able to acquire “elevated rights” that allowed them to navigate parts of Home Depot’s network and to deploy unique, custom-built malware on its self-checkout systems throughout both the United States and Canada.
When did it happen? The malicious software was active on Home Depot’s network between April and September of this year. In the wake of recent incidents, the retailer has added more encryption to its credit card payment systems.
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