Home Depot Investigates a Possible Data Breach

If a breach is confirmed, Home Depot will be the latest target in a recent string of hacking attacks against major companies, after Target, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, Sally’s Beauty, P.F. Chang’s and United Parcel Service. Those companies said criminals had installed malicious software on their systems that siphoned out customers’ payment information. The hackers who broke into the systems are believed to belong to the same crime ring in Eastern Europe.

The number of customers affected by the breaches amounts to more than one-third of the American population. In late July, the Homeland Security Department and the Secret Service issued a report warning retailers to check their in-store cash register systems for a set of malware that could evade detection of antivirus products. The Secret Service estimated that over 1,000 businesses had been infected by the software, which security researchers called Backoff.

www.nytimes.com...

Why do I have to watch the CBS evening news to hear about this?

Why I'm I the only one on ATS that has been posting these hacks?

Look at the connection to Russia, this is a cyber war to destroy our economic system. Everyone complains about the NSA or all the government spying on our lives, but no one is shouting about the Russians who have all of our ID information, I REPEAT - Everyone's ID is compromised!

I'm not being Chicken Little here, the sky is really falling and no one seems to give a rat's rear end.

Here is a little more from that same article.

Mr. Krebs said the potential infiltration of Home Depot’s customer data might have begun as far back as May. That could make a Home Depot breach even bigger than that of Target, which began last November and was reported in December.

Brian Krebs is the guy who has been keeping an eye on these security hacks, he should be listened to.

ETA: This is just the tip of the ice burg, they have hacked one of the major credit agencies too. Believe me when I say, they have your information and are selling on the dark web for a few bucks. Stop using credit and debit cards, its the only way to keep your ID safe anymore. Start stuffing that mattress, not the pockets of the Russian black market.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck


You're quite right. We are a self-centered nation.

Whether he was correct or not, Bush had us looking outside of ourselves. Our vision was, to a limited extent, expanded. Now, with more world problems than there have been for quite awhile, we focus on marijuana and abortion laws, food stamps and unemployment benefits, Nike shoes and cell phones and bling.

Only when Facebook, Twitter, and whatever else is popular, fails when our internet is taken down, will anyone even notice.

a reply to: charles1952

Were you one of us freaking out the other day because ATS was down? Most of us don't use any of those listed but, this is a form of social media too.

What if it's just another way to issue some new money spending laws?

' We are implementing going digital. Please visit an authorized doctor who will insert the chip into your dominant hand. Once chip is installed. Visit your financial institution, who will scan your hand and upload all accounts you currently hold with the bank. You will not lose any funds.

From then on, all you need to do is wave your hand across the reader at the cash register. Online shoppers will be pleased to learn we have designed an app that will also scan your hand. Apple users can use Passport. More merchants shall be added shortly".

Brought to you by DHS and the anti money laundering regulators.

a reply to: charles1952

I took notice when my card was compromised back when this stuff started. My GF's daughter's card was compromised earlier this summer, it was a big deal for about a week, until the bank stopped the unauthorized purchases, reissued a new card and reimbursed the account. There was a run on Huntington when I took her to straighten it out that day.

How much money can the banks lose before the system finally gives? How can any transactions happen when no one can be sure who is making purchases in your name? They have all of it and they will sell it to many criminals before the bank can stop it. Lather, rinse, repeat after you get the new card issued. How many new cards before you decide to give up on banks?

The dominoes are falling people.

a reply to: Iamthatbish

Dear Iamthatbish,

No, I wasn't freaking out. I assumed it was partial punishment for the rotten things I've done and accepted it calmly.

But, even besides the Internet, I keep hearing that our electrical grid would go. That would cause the rot of some foods and medicines, water pumps. Heck, you know all the scenarios.

With respect,
Charles1952

Even Goodwill has been breached Goodwill data breach

originally posted by: violet
What if it's just another way to issue some new money spending laws?

' We are implementing going digital. Please visit an authorized doctor who will insert the chip into your dominant hand. Once chip is installed. Visit your financial institution, who will scan your hand and upload all accounts you currently hold with the bank. You will not lose any funds.

From then on, all you need to do is wave your hand across the reader at the cash register. Online shoppers will be pleased to learn we have designed an app that will also scan your hand. Apple users can use Passport. More merchants shall be added shortly".

Brought to you by DHS and the anti money laundering regulators.

I like your theory a lot Violet, but I can't help but think it's a big fat bloated system that is completely compromised due to incompetence and not keeping up with the criminals. They will never catch up now. This, IMO, will be the straw that breaks the economy's back.

originally posted by: tinker9917
Even Goodwill has been breached Goodwill data breach

Lord! Even us poor folk shopping at Goodwill are ID theft targets. Thanks Tinker for posting that one, I missed it.

originally posted by: charles1952
a reply to: Iamthatbish

Dear Iamthatbish,

No, I wasn't freaking out. I assumed it was partial punishment for the rotten things I've done and accepted it calmly.

But, even besides the Internet, I keep hearing that our electrical grid would go. That would cause the rot of some foods and medicines, water pumps. Heck, you know all the scenarios.

With respect,
Charles1952

You make a good point, the Chinese have been trying to hack our grid. The card theft hacking is only one cyber battle, the infrastructure hacks are on going as well. A silent war is happening now, we are in World Cyber War I.

You could even entertain at some stage a hack at the homeland, none better to do that than NSA rogues.
And BTW OP, what makes you think that only now could you be compromised? common sense should tell you that the internet is an open book far exceeding in lack of security than anything before the internet. Anybody trying to sell the notion of online security is telling porkies.

a reply to: charles1952

We're too darned spoiled to lose our electricity. Longest I've gone without power is about 10 days I think.

a reply to: violet

Dear violet,

As MichiganSwampBuck (not the most attractive name, by the way) pointed out, we are at the beginnings of a Cyber War, our military secrets are stolen, diplomatic cables exposed, banks attacked and shut down, plus the attacks we're not being told about.

Politicians and people don't talk about it. What we hear are comments like "Of course you're not going to have privacy on the Internet," or "Use this software." It's all aimed at allowing people to ignore it because it doesn't directly affect them. I suppose our schools don't teach foresight.

And if we don't pay attention to something that comes right into our wallets and papers, we're certainly not going to worry about other foreign problems.

originally posted by: smurfy
You could even entertain at some stage a hack at the homeland, none better to do that than NSA rogues.
And BTW OP, what makes you think that only now could you be compromised? common sense should tell you that the internet is an open book far exceeding in lack of security than anything before the internet. Anybody trying to sell the notion of online security is telling porkies.

I have been compromised already, around the time of the Target blackpos hack. That's what started looking into all this crap going on. I have a half dozen threads about all this. I agree with you though, not that such a notion really matters, the system is a lost cause by now, no doubt in my mind anyways. Is it important that it was always a security risk?

What seems to be important to me is how they keep pushing the credit cards in commercials, with bonus points, etc.
I took a time out to watch NCIS, every commercial break had a credit card commercial. They just keep up appearances so it looks all so good. Ah, and don't forget paid services like "life lock", that will keep your identity safe.

Everyone just sweeps it under the rug, and I'm sorry to say this, but attitudes like you have put forth like, "it's always been broken, you need to use common sense", only try to put the blame on people who had trust in the system, not the criminals that are destroying it. That doesn't help solve anything or bring it to the attention of the public at large. Sorry if that wasn't your intention with that comment, but that's how it looks to me. I still appreciate that comment for its truthfulness however.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I took a time out to watch NCIS, every commercial break had a credit card commercial. They just keep up appearances so it looks all so good. Ah, and don't forget paid services like "life lock", that will keep your identity safe.

ironic indeed.

part of the plan imo...

Vicious !!

a reply to: charles1952

Thanks for supporting my POV Chuck. You see what's happening.

PS: The swamp buck is a majestic and powerful animal, you need to go out and see one. I know I'll pass him by this firearm season so he can spread his seed among the does.

These people are aggressive. I'm surprised they haven't been caught. They've gone after some smaller chain stores as well. I'm sure this could bring banks to the brink and our government would bail them out. This in turn would raise our taxes so yea...it sounds like a war of sorts.

Although likely unrelated, there is something weird happening with my iPhone the past few days too. I'm getting text messages from strangers that elicits a response. IE: "wtf explicit explicit...remove my pic from FB". I got another one a few days ago that was similar. I don't use FB too much but had a breach about a month ago. I would warn people to not respond to strange text messages and to not friend anyone on FB who you do not know.

a reply to: Dianec

I don't do FB anymore, not as myself at any rate. I have heard something about strangers making private messages on there. If it came from Russia, it is probably related to the rest of the cyber criminal element there.

Many of these big companies keep you card numbers on file long after they have cleared the bank.

Some even for years.

These companies have no reason to keep your card number for any longer then it takes to clear the bank.

They also have no reason to not encrypt there file so that even if hacked the hacker would get only garbage.

Between you bank and ATM the data is encrypted with very good encryption and i have never heard of a hack in that connection.