It was reported before that the breach into the database of Home Depot has resulted to the leak of payment-card data. New reports have stated that along with the payment cards, around 53 million email addresses were also taken during the attack.
According to a statement released by home Depot, criminals utilized a third party vendor’s credentials to enter the company’s network. The stolen credential didn’t provide a direct access to Home Depot’s point-of-sale devices. The hackers then got elevated rights that gave them access to the network and deployed a malware on the self-checkout systems in Canada and the US.
The breach in Home Depot’s network showed that there were a lot of blind spots to stop the attack. The attacker was able to go in through a third party and went to the corporate environment through a zero-day vulnerability found in Microsoft Windows. Home Depot detected the attack more than five months.
Home Depot spent more time to prevent an attack, instead of trying to find an active compromise.
The good news is that more corporations are trying to detect compromised devices in their networks, even if there were no reported attacks.
Attackers are becoming better at systems than the people who are tasked to defend them. The ideal scenario is to have defenders who are better at securing systems in a more innovative manner. Retailers must realize that cybercrime is part of the business and it is the right time to integrate it into their business continuity plans.
Outdated software is one of the problems that plague retailers. There are also a lot of gaps along the supply chain. Take for instance suppliers who can use handheld devices to process orders. The wireless connection is at risk because the encryption is not being used or of low quality. All the elements of the retail business is impossible to monitor.
