SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
A recent investigation by Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) has confirmed that a
copy of certain user account information was stolen from the company's
network in late 2014 by what it believes is a state-sponsored actor. The
account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone
numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (the vast majority with
bcrypt) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions
and answers. The ongoing investigation suggests that stolen information
did not include unprotected passwords, payment card data, or bank
account information; payment card data and bank account information are
not stored in the system that the investigation has found to be
affected. Based on the ongoing investigation, Yahoo believes that
information associated with at least 500 million user accounts was
stolen and the investigation has found no evidence that the
state-sponsored actor is currently in Yahoo's network. Yahoo is working
closely with law enforcement on this matter.
Yahoo is notifying potentially affected users and has taken steps to
secure their accounts. These steps include invalidating unencrypted
security questions and answers so that they cannot be used to access an
account and asking potentially affected users to change their passwords.
Yahoo is also recommending that users who haven't changed their
passwords since 2014 do so.
Yahoo encourages users to review their online accounts for suspicious
activity and to change their password and security questions and answers
for any other accounts on which they use the same or similar information
used for their Yahoo account. The company further recommends that users
avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious
emails and that they be cautious of unsolicited communications that ask
for personal information. Additionally, Yahoo asks users to consider
using Yahoo
Account Key, a simple authentication tool that eliminates the need
to use a password altogether.
Online intrusions and thefts by state-sponsored actors have become
increasingly common across the technology industry. Yahoo and other
companies have launched programs to detect and notify users when a
company strongly suspects that a state-sponsored actor has targeted an
account. Since the inception of Yahoo's program
in December 2015, independent of the recent investigation, approximately
10,000 users have received such a notice.
Additional information will be available on the Yahoo Security Issue
FAQs page, https://yahoo.com/security-update,
beginning at 11:30 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on September 22, 2016.
About Yahoo
Yahoo is a guide to digital information discovery, focused on informing,
connecting, and entertaining through its search, communications, and
digital content products. By creating highly personalized experiences,
Yahoo helps users discover the information that matters most to them
around the world -- on mobile or desktop. Yahoo connects advertisers
with target audiences through a streamlined advertising technology stack
that combines the power of Yahoo's data, content, and technology. Yahoo
is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located
throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East
and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net)
or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).
Statements in this press release regarding the findings of Yahoo's
ongoing investigation involve potential risks and uncertainties. The
final conclusions of the investigation may differ from the findings to
date due to various factors including, but not limited to, the discovery
of new or additional information and other developments that may arise
during the course of the investigation. More information about potential
risks and uncertainties of security breaches that could affect the
Company's business and financial results is included under the caption
"Risk Factors" in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2016, which is on file with the SEC and available
on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
Yahoo!, the Yahoo family of marks, and the associated logos are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. Other names are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160922006198/en/
Yahoo
Suzanne Philion, +1 408-349-4040
sphilion@yahoo-inc.com
Source: Yahoo! Inc.
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