Hackers had access to 56 million credit and debit cards when they breached Home Depot’s security system this year, the company said Thursday. The breach was even larger than the attack on Target last year, when 40 million cards were compromised.
The company said that thieves had placed malware software on cash registers in Home Depots throughout the U.S. and Canada from April to September. The malware has since been eliminated. The breach will cost the company at least $62 million.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and anxiety this has caused and want to reassure them that they will not be liable for fraudulent charges,” Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a statement.
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Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com