More than a year and a half ago, Home Depot announced that it had been a victim of one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history. Media outlets reported that the breach had affected Home Depot’s customers who had made purchases using the company’s self-checkout terminals. The hackers had used a third-party vendor’s username and password to infiltrate Home Depot’s network and install a malware that allowed the criminals to access shoppers’ payment and contact information for a period of five months. According to reports from the media and the company, the hackers gained access to 56 million credit and debit cards and obtained 53 million email addresses.
