Litzy Ramos

Mrs. Parker

Business and Tech

9/16/20

The Home Depot Data Breach

Identity Theft is well known thing, as it happens often not only in the U.S. but Worldwide (India,

Korea, France, U.K, Mexico, Canada, Australia, etc...) Over the years many cases of identity

theft and data breaches have become known, like many stores, The Home Depot experienced a

data breach that effected the company greatly and continues to do so.

In 2014 a group of Russian and Ukrainian hackers invaded The Home Depot’s data system. It is

believed it was not only for money and recognition but for retribution ( believed to be the same

group who invaded Targets data but hasn’t been proven )In a in depth case study it was revealed

the hackers used a vendor’s credentials, passed The Home Depot’s poor firewall and got into the

system, and used the self-checkout machines to collect information of consumers when they

would swipe their cards for payment or already had memberships such as The Home Depot pro

or The Home Depot Extra . Over 50 million people were affected by this (56 million in card

information, 53 in email addresses) The Home Depot has tried their best to deal with this.

The Company has spent 263 million on the expenses of the breach so far and continue doing

payments for it. Some to consumers for their information being sold, having to deal with others

using it the money stolen from their accounts, the credit card industry, and banks who have to

sort all this out. Many who have been affected also sued the company for having to deal with the

aftermath of it all, customer service, credit monitoring, identity theft protection, investigation

expenses, etc. Since then the Company has improved their cyber security and been more cautious
Litzy Ramos

Mrs. Parker

Business and Tech

9/16/20
with vendors and hired experts to recover as much as they can so it does not happen again. The

breach was discovered by several banks who found their clients accounts being sold in a

underground cybershop.

The Home Depot’s breach opened the eyes of many to be more cautious with their personal

information and companies to improve their network security. It is advised for consumers to

have an effective information security management system and have credit reports for

themselves. It is important to keep track of your accounts, bills, check your mail, and watch your

bank account statement to ensure you have not been a victim to identity theft.

In other countries, just like the U.S. try to do their best to keep this from happening and have

data privacy regulations for companies to ensure security, but of course even with these

guidelines hackers find a way to invade and some consumers may not obey.

The U.S. is a hotspot for hackers for our massive population and multitude dominating

businesses, and technology adaptation other countries are usually chosen because of this, but the

U.S is leading with 64% of total data stolen. Even though this data breach happened in a store it

can happen online through apps or websites just as easy if not more. Research shows 7 million

data records are being exposed every day, 56 every second, and each costing on average 3.26

million globally.
Litzy Ramos

Mrs. Parker

Business and Tech

9/16/20
It is clear how identity theft is an issue in our generation especially with the ongoing technology

advances and how it can greatly impact a company such as The Home Depot, even though it

wasn’t the company’s fault as it could have happened to any other no matter the country. As I

said before this can happen anywhere, and we should take precaution just how companies

should. Many still continue to shop at The Home Depot such as my father, and most have

forgotten it happened but who knows if The Home Depot will ever fully recover from the breach,

the cost of it all only grows even after six years.

Litzy Ramos

Mrs. Parker

Business and Tech

9/16/20
Work Cited

3/29/2020, Rob Sobers Updated: “The World in Data Breaches.” Inside Out Security, 30 Mar.
2020, www.varonis.com/blog/the-world-in-data-breaches/.

Irwin, Luke. “Home Depot to Pay $25 Million in Data Breach Settlement.” IT Governance USA
Blog, 3 Apr. 2017, www.itgovernanceusa.com/blog/home-depot-to-pay-25-million-in-data-
breach-settlement.

Ragan, Steve. “What You Need to Know about the Home Depot Data Breach.” CSO Online,
CSO, 8 Sept. 2014, www.csoonline.com/article/2604320/what-you-need-to-know-about-
the-home-depot-data-breach.html.

Stafford, Leon. “Data Breach Still a Headache for Home Depot.” Ajc, The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, 24 Oct. 2015, www.ajc.com/business/data-breach-still-headache-for-home-
depot/F2iNdZvPYYS2n50eFv3HjN/.

Stephanie. “A Look Back at the Home Depot Data Breach.” Best Company, Best Company, 7
July 2020, bestcompany.com/identity-theft/blog/a-look-back-at-the-home-depot-data-
breach.