CARSON CITY (KTNV) — Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and 46 other attorneys general announced a $17.5 million joint settlement with Home Depot.
The settlement resolves a multistate investigation into their 2014 data breach that exposed the payment card information of approximately 40 million Home Depot customers across the nation, according to the attorney general's office.
Nevada will receive $150,712.30 from the settlement.
The breach occurred when hackers gained access to Home Depot’s network and deployed malware on the self-checkout point-of-sale system. The malware allowed hackers to obtain the payment card information of customers who used self-checkout lanes at Home Depot stores throughout the United States between April 10, 2014, and Sept 13, 2014.
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“My office continues to focus on data security and consumer privacy,” said Attorney General Ford. “Investigations like this one produce meaningful settlements that set a high floor for the data security standards we expect from companies that handle the personal information of our consumers.”
In addition to the settlement payment, Home Depot has agreed to implement and maintain a series of data security practices designed to strengthen its information security program and safeguard the personal information of consumers. Specific provisions arising from the settlement include:
- Employing a duly qualified Chief Information Security Officer who will report to both the Senior or C-level executives and Board of Directors regarding Home Depot’s security posture and security risks;
- Providing resources necessary to fully implement the company’s information security program;
- Providing appropriate security awareness and privacy training to all personnel who have access to the company’s network or responsibility for United States consumers’ personal information; and
- Employing specific security safeguards with respect to access controls, password management, two factor authentication, firewalls, encryption, risk assessments, penetration testing and vendor account management.
- Consistent with previous state data breach settlements, the company’s implementation of the agreed upon security program will be evaluated through a post settlement information security assessment.
