Home Depot has revealed the data breach they announced back in September was worse than they originally thought.
In addition to the previously announced theft of payment information, they have now found that over 53 million email addresses were stolen.
“The files containing the stolen email addresses did not contain passwords, payment card information or other sensitive personal information. As we reported on Sept. 18, the method of entry used by the hackers has been closed and the malware eliminated from our systems,” reads a statement on Home Depot’s website.
In a bid to appease customers, Home Depot has underscored that customers will not be responsible for any fraudulent charges to debit and credit cards used at stores since April, 2014. In addition, customers will receive free credit and identity monitoring.
In the statement , Home Depot reminded customers to be mindful of phishing scams, avoid clicking on links in emails from unknown sources and giving personal information on the phone, especially if they did not initiate calls.
Home Depot has also stated their intention to contact all customers who might be affected by this breach.
What do you think of Home Depot’s response to the data breach?
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