Yahoo said the stolen information may have included names, email address, birth dates, and scrambled passwords, along with encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers that could help hackers break into victims’ other online accounts. However, the company has asserted that no financial information has been obtained by the hacker.
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Yahoo users who haven’t changed their passwords since 2014 especially should immediately change not only their passwords but also their security questions, the company said.
Meanwhile, though the disclosure of the hack came as a surprise for Yahoo users, officials in Washington were seemingly not as surprised, because government technology managers had been warning them, for more than one year, that their personal Yahoo email was being targeted by hackers. BT and Sky Broadband have both used and may even still be using Yahoo for its email service.
He noted that while Yahoo said that it believes they hack was state-sponsored, the company provided no details regarding what makes them think that is the case. “Yahoo may very well be facing an existential crisis”, said Corey Williams, senior director of products and marketing at the computer security firm Centrify.
“Yahoo is working closely with law enforcement on this matter”.
“We’re probably just going to dump Yahoo altogether”, said Rick Hollister, 56, who owns a private investigation firm in Tallahassee, Florida. We believe this high “dwell time” achieved by the hackers is remarkable since Yahoo has one of the most sophisticated security infrastructures in the world.
Yahoo also is recommending that all users change their passwords if they haven’t done so since 2014.
Yahoo has urged all users to change their passwords and security questions in wake of the breach.
When in doubt, call or email the company that appears to be sending the message separately, don’t go through the email you’ve been sent.
News of the security lapse could cause some people to have second thoughts about relying on Yahoo’s services, raising a prickly issue for the company as it tries to sell its digital operations to Verizon Communications for 4.8 billion dollars (£3.7 billion).
That deal, announced two months ago, is not due to close until early next year. That could happen if users shun Yahoo or file lawsuits because they’re incensed by the theft of their personal information.
Yahoo said it was notifying potentially affected users and taking steps to secure their accounts.
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“We will evaluate as the investigation continues through the lens of overall Verizon interests, including consumers, customers, shareholders and related communities”, Verizon said. “A buyer needs to understand the cybersecurity strengths and weaknesses of its target these days”.
