SCAG Wilson announces settlement with The Home Depot over 2014 customer data breach

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– On Tuesday, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office as well as the attorneys general of 45 other states and the District of Columbia reached a settlement with The Home Depot over a customer data breach that occurred in 2014. Officials say this data breach exposed the payment information of approximately 40 million customers nationwide who used The Home Depot’s self check-out system between April 10-September 13, 2014. Officials say that hackers gained access and put malware in The Home Depot’s self check-out system that obtained customers’ payment information.

Through the settlement, The Home Depot agreed to pay $17.5 million to the states involved. $207,152.80 of that will go to South Carolina. Additionally, The Home Depot must implement and maintain a series of data security practices to ensure the safety of customers’ data.

“This settlement serves to promote fair but rigorous compliance with state laws, which require businesses that collect or maintain sensitive personal information to implement and adhere to reasonable procedures to protect consumers’ information from unlawful use or disclosure,” said Attorney General Wilson.

For customers affected by the data breach, The Home Depot has allotted $13 million to pay consumers who suffered losses due to the breach.