Store Investigating Possible Hack of Credit Cards Data

The home improvement giant Home Depot admitted recently that it was investigating some suspicious activity after a security expert reported they may have become the victim of credit card hackers.

Krebs on Security is the security blog which broke the news of Target’s massive credit card hack several months ago. The same security experts are now reporting that Home Depot may be the source of a massive new batch of stolen bank cards data that recently went on sale in the cybercrime underground.

Home Depot is the largest home improvement chain in the United States, accounting for more than 2,248 locations and revenues of over $78.8 bn. The retail giant explained that it was working with investigators to assess the situation. Home Depot assured its customers that it takes protecting their information extremely seriously, and now is aggressively gathering facts at this point while working to protect the clients. The company promised to immediately notify its customers if it is confirmed that a breach has occurred. But right now the situation is unclear, so the company prefers not to speculate further for security reasons.


The security experts point out that the revelation of another major hack follows the release of intimate pictures of such celebrities as Jennifer Lawrence and Rihanna by an unknown hacker, allegedly stolen from iCloud accounts, and a range of attacks of the banks and retailers in recent months.

Krebs on Security believes that the attack on Home Depot may have originated from the same group of Russian and Ukrainian hackers who had stolen customer data from Target, cosmetic supplies company Sally Beauty, restaurant group PF Chang’s and other retailers.

Back in December 2013, Krebs on Security was first to tell the world that Target was investigating a breach where 40 million people had their bank cards details stolen by cyber criminals. Further investigations revealed that the leak appeared to be the largest ever compromising credit details and affected 70 million people, which is close to 1/3 of the population of the country. This incident led to a massive share price crash at Target. As for today, Home Depot’s stock lost 2% on news of the possible credit and debit cards leak.