6 ms·

After having my card cancelled from the Target theft, and now this, I'm done with Home Depot.

eli 12y ago
I kinda feel like having to replace a lost/stolen card number is just part of the cost of doing business by credit card.
- post_break 12y ago
  Yeah but I don't want to support a company that has millions of credit cards stolen from malware.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - Hytosys 12y ago
    As consumers, we really don't have many ways to make an impact, so I can understand why you would be so exacting. With that being said, a particularly skilled engineer could find his or her way into just about any closed system. Check out CVE Details[1] to get an idea of how many security exploits are reported for software that surely you use daily. For most companies, the mess that Home Depot is facing never occurs. Not because they were so successful at anticipating security holes, but because they were never targeted by a successful attacker. Details have not been released (and may never be fully released) regarding the attack; but this is just food for thought. [1] http://www.cvedetails.com/ http://www.cvedetails.com/
    - wyager 12y ago
      >As consumers, we really don't have many ways to make an impact Use bitcoin whenever feasible?
      - eli 12y ago
        I never lose money when my credit card number is stolen
    - InclinedPlane 12y ago
      Pay cash at retail establishments. Use paypal at as many online stores as possible. Use prepaid debit cards elsewhere, don't keep much money on them normally, drain them and switch to another card every month.
      - tdfx 12y ago
        > Pay cash at retail establishments. Your cash can be stolen, lost, misplaced. No recourse. If you lose a credit card, you just call and get a new one mailed to you. > Use paypal at as many online stores as possible. I can't believe someone just recommended using PayPal on HN. > Use prepaid debit cards elsewhere, don't keep much money on them normally, drain them and switch to another card every month. Don't use debit cards to pay for things. Ever. Credit cards give you substantial consumer protections that you don't get from debit cards. Bottom line: use credit cards everywhere you can. Find the best rewards program for you and rack up points. Check your account activity once a week. Report anything you don't recognize. If you're part of the social class to which credit cards are actually available, it's quite foolish not to use them.
        InclinedPlane 12y ago
        > Don't use debit cards to pay for things. Ever. Credit cards give you substantial consumer protections that you don't get from debit cards. A: This is simply not true any more. Most banks offer essentially the same level of protection for debit cards as for credit cards, the only issue with debit cards is that potentially you could have a period of time while still missing funds, but I've never seen that be an issue with any reputable bank within the last several years. B: You must have missed the part where I talked about using "prepaid debit cards". If you are extremely paranoid you can only add money to them just prior to use, leaving them with a low balance most of the time. C: The problem isn't just fraud and potentially having a period of time without funds available to you that should otherwise be there, it's also the enormous hassle of replacing a card (and updating everywhere you use that as a payment instrument such as amazon, your bills, etc.) That problem isn't improved at all by using a credit card vs a debit card.
  - joshAg 12y ago
    assuming they followed all relevant security procedures and protocols, what do you propose they do in the future to not lose customers like you? protecting yourself against custom malware like the type the article says infected home depot is not easy for tech companies, let alone non tech businesses.
- rhizome 12y ago
  Well, the cost is getting too high for me. BofA has replaced my debit card at least four times in the past three years, necessitating I update all of the online billing stuff I use. This is a hassle, not to mention BofA's new ATM software being so glitchy it beggars suspicion about how much twine and gum is operating behind the scenes.
IvyMike 12y ago
I guess there's two theories why the alternative stores to Target and Home Depot were not hacked: A) Skill B) Luck I'm a cynic so I'm going with B. (Actually, I may go with "C" which is "there are probably breaches that we just haven't heard of yet")

eli 12y ago

I kinda feel like having to replace a lost/stolen card number is just part of the cost of doing business by credit card.

post_break 12y ago
Yeah but I don't want to support a company that has millions of credit cards stolen from malware.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- Hytosys 12y ago
  As consumers, we really don't have many ways to make an impact, so I can understand why you would be so exacting. With that being said, a particularly skilled engineer could find his or her way into just about any closed system. Check out CVE Details[1] to get an idea of how many security exploits are reported for software that surely you use daily. For most companies, the mess that Home Depot is facing never occurs. Not because they were so successful at anticipating security holes, but because they were never targeted by a successful attacker. Details have not been released (and may never be fully released) regarding the attack; but this is just food for thought. [1] http://www.cvedetails.com/ http://www.cvedetails.com/
  - wyager 12y ago
    >As consumers, we really don't have many ways to make an impact Use bitcoin whenever feasible?
    - eli 12y ago
      I never lose money when my credit card number is stolen
  - InclinedPlane 12y ago
    Pay cash at retail establishments. Use paypal at as many online stores as possible. Use prepaid debit cards elsewhere, don't keep much money on them normally, drain them and switch to another card every month.
    - tdfx 12y ago
      > Pay cash at retail establishments. Your cash can be stolen, lost, misplaced. No recourse. If you lose a credit card, you just call and get a new one mailed to you. > Use paypal at as many online stores as possible. I can't believe someone just recommended using PayPal on HN. > Use prepaid debit cards elsewhere, don't keep much money on them normally, drain them and switch to another card every month. Don't use debit cards to pay for things. Ever. Credit cards give you substantial consumer protections that you don't get from debit cards. Bottom line: use credit cards everywhere you can. Find the best rewards program for you and rack up points. Check your account activity once a week. Report anything you don't recognize. If you're part of the social class to which credit cards are actually available, it's quite foolish not to use them.
      - InclinedPlane 12y ago
        > Don't use debit cards to pay for things. Ever. Credit cards give you substantial consumer protections that you don't get from debit cards. A: This is simply not true any more. Most banks offer essentially the same level of protection for debit cards as for credit cards, the only issue with debit cards is that potentially you could have a period of time while still missing funds, but I've never seen that be an issue with any reputable bank within the last several years. B: You must have missed the part where I talked about using "prepaid debit cards". If you are extremely paranoid you can only add money to them just prior to use, leaving them with a low balance most of the time. C: The problem isn't just fraud and potentially having a period of time without funds available to you that should otherwise be there, it's also the enormous hassle of replacing a card (and updating everywhere you use that as a payment instrument such as amazon, your bills, etc.) That problem isn't improved at all by using a credit card vs a debit card.
- joshAg 12y ago
  assuming they followed all relevant security procedures and protocols, what do you propose they do in the future to not lose customers like you? protecting yourself against custom malware like the type the article says infected home depot is not easy for tech companies, let alone non tech businesses.
rhizome 12y ago
Well, the cost is getting too high for me. BofA has replaced my debit card at least four times in the past three years, necessitating I update all of the online billing stuff I use. This is a hassle, not to mention BofA's new ATM software being so glitchy it beggars suspicion about how much twine and gum is operating behind the scenes.

IvyMike 12y ago

I guess there's two theories why the alternative stores to Target and Home Depot were not hacked: A) Skill B) Luck I'm a cynic so I'm going with B. (Actually, I may go with "C" which is "there are probably breaches that we just haven't heard of yet")