TMCnet News
Menendez, Sires Dismayed Over Home Depot Data Breach(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 12 -- The office of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-08) today expressed alarm with Home Depot's announcement that they may have suffered the largest data breach in history. The breach potentially goes back to last April and could affect all of its 2,200 stores nationwide. "It has been over 250 days since Target announced its data breach, yet instead of any solution to protect consumers' personal information, we have seen data breaches grow more common and affect more people." Sen. Menendez said. "The fact that hackers used the same malware in both the Target and Home Depot hacks shows a troubling lack of progress. We are now looking at potentially the largest breach yet, and this announcement only confirms the dire need for our legislation to safeguard consumers' sensitive data." "Data breaches, like the ones we've most recently seen with Home Depot, eBay and Target, happen far too often," stated Rep. Sires. "Citizens put their trust in corporations and their security systems every day when they shop, bolstering the economy and providing for their families in the process. It is unfair that they are unprotected as they go about their daily lives. It's time to pass the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights in order to protect consumers' personal information and hold those accountable who fail to keep that information secure." As a result of multiple hearings and stakeholder engagement, Menendez and Sires introduced the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights in May. This legislation is critical to protect consumers and hold companies accountable in the event of a data breach. More information on the bill can be found here. The Home Depot data breach is the latest in a wave of massive data breaches in the past year. Last December, Target announced that they suffered a data breach affecting 40 million customers' financial data and 70 million customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. In May, eBay announced that hackers accessed up to 145 million user records. The hackers stole encrypted passwords and other customer data. While Home Depot has not announced how many customers were affected, their breach has the potential to be even larger than these breaches. Late last year, Senator Menendez wrote to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Ramirez in December regarding the Target data breach, and asked whether the agency needed additional legislative authority to protect consumers' sensitive data. He also called for Senate Banking Committee hearings on the recent data breaches, and during Committee and Subcommittee hearings questioned witnesses from regulators, industry, and consumer advocates on whether companies are properly safeguarding consumers' data. TNS30VitinMar-140913-4858109 30VitinMar (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |