Kmart becomes latest victim of data breach
NEW YORK • Sears Holdings Corp. announced late Friday that it detected a data breach at its Kmart stores that started last month and that certain customers' credit and debit card accounts may have been hacked.
The data theft at Kmart is the latest in a string of incidents that have hit several big retailers, including Target, Supervalu and Home Depot. For the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based parent company, however, the breach comes at a time when it's struggling with losses and sales declines as it fights to stay relevant with shoppers.
Sears Holdings, which also operates Sears stores, says that Kmart's information technology department detected on Thursday that its payment data systems had been breached. But it couldn't provide the number of affected cards. However, it said that it was able to remove the malware. It also noted that based on a forensic investigation to date, no personal information, debit cards, PIN numbers, email address, and social security information were obtained by the hackers. And there's no evidence that Kmart.com shoppers were affected.
Sears says Kmart immediately launched a full investigation and is working with a leading security firm. It added that it's also working closely with federal law enforcement authorities and banking partners in this ongoing investigation. Kmart is also implementing further advanced software to protect customers' information.
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