Big Companies Suffer Data Breaches

Home Depot’s crushing data breach this September has put billion dollar corporations on their toes.  Beginning in April of this year, the malware known as Mozart–a corporation specific computer contaminate–went on a 5 month infiltration of Home Depot’s cybersecurity system. Experts project over 56 million customers were affected. That’s over 15 million more than last December’s Target hacking.

Home Depot isn’t the only store to be recently hacked. Albertson’s and its associate sister stores suffered a virtual break-in between June and July of this year. An estimated 700 stores were affected. When big companies like these get robbed by hackers, consumers become worried of their credit card safety. We wonder how billion dollar corporations can suffer data breaches.

Ignoring the signs

Home Depot had at least two malware threats in the last 10 months. The two incidents were both malware viruses that attempted to attack in-store registers, but it was unclear if they were successful. In February, FishNet conducted a comprehensive cybersecurity scan and urged Home Depot to upgrade their defense system. Home Depot opted against it. Company software technicians also warned supervisors of the possibility of a more threatening security breach, but they too were ignored.

To save a nickel or to protect millions?

Home Depot’s former security supervisor Jeff Mitchell took the brunt of the data-breach controversy due to his penny-pinching management. While FishNet identified Home Depot’s “C-level” security system as inefficient for their large company, Mitchell refused upgrades because he reasoned it would be too expensive. With his reasoning, Mitchell risked the financial security of Home Depot’s customers in order to save on his end. As a result, Home Depot prepares to dish back over $60 million in customer claims due to the Mozart hacking.

These hackings gives every business reason to boost their cybersecurity systems. How is your business protected from hackers?

Published: October 1, 2014
Updated: February 25, 2020
Headline: Big Companies Suffer Data Breaches
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