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How Hackers Got Into Home Depot: The 2014 Supplier-Credential Breach

Home Depot traced its 2014 breach to stolen vendor credentials and malware on self-checkout systems. The company estimated 56 million cards at risk and separately reported 53 million exposed email addresses.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Home Depot said attackers entered its network in 2014 using a third-party vendor’s credentials, then gained elevated access and installed custom-built malware on self-checkout systems. The company estimated that about 56 million unique payment cards were put at risk; it separately reported that files containing about 53 million email addresses were taken. Those were distinct categories, not one combined count.

How did hackers get into Home Depot?

Home Depot said the attackers used a third-party vendor’s username and password to cross the company’s network perimeter. The credentials did not themselves provide direct access to point-of-sale devices. According to the company, the intruders then obtained elevated access and used custom-built malware to collect payment-card information from self-checkout systems.

The company did not identify the vendor or the individual attackers in the materials described here. Its account of the intrusion path is Home Depot’s reported finding, rather than an independently established forensic conclusion.

What data did Home Depot say was affected?

Data category Home Depot’s reported figure What the figure means
Payment cards Approximately 56 million unique cards Home Depot’s estimate of cards put at risk, announced September 18, 2014. Company announcement
Email addresses Approximately 53 million addresses Home Depot said on November 6, 2014, that separate files containing these addresses had been taken. Company disclosure

The card count was an estimate of unique cards at risk; it is not a count of confirmed fraudulent transactions. Home Depot described the email addresses as being in files separate from the payment-card data.

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When did the breach happen, and when was it contained?

Home Depot’s filing describes affected shopping at U.S. and Canadian stores from April through September 2014. The company said its investigation began after it received reports from banking partners and law enforcement. It publicly confirmed an investigation on September 8, and on September 18 said the malware had been eliminated from its U.S. and Canadian networks. On November 6, it disclosed the vendor credentials and the separate email-address files.

These dates describe the reported period of affected transactions and the company’s response milestones; they do not establish exactly when the attackers first entered the network.

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What did Home Depot say was not affected?

Home Depot reported that it had no evidence debit-card PINs were compromised. It also said the incident did not affect stores in Mexico or people who shopped online. These are the company’s stated findings, not a guarantee about any individual customer’s account.

Was my Home Depot card information stolen?

The company’s estimate means payment-card information used at affected U.S. and Canadian stores during the reported April-to-September 2014 period could have been exposed. It does not identify which individual cards were involved. A person who used a card in an affected store cannot determine exposure from the overall count alone.

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At the time, then-chairman and CEO Frank Blake said: “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.” The New York Times’ contemporary report quoted Blake’s statement.

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What customer remedies were offered?

Home Depot announced free identity protection, including credit monitoring, for customers who had used a payment card in its stores from April 2014 onward. Later settlement materials described an 18-month Identity Guard Essentials benefit for eligible class members. The settlement FAQ also described a $13 million settlement fund; that is a settlement term, not a measure of the company’s total losses. These were historical remedies, and the materials do not establish that enrollment is still available.

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