SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) has identified data security issues concerning
certain Yahoo user accounts. Yahoo has taken steps to secure user
accounts and is working closely with law enforcement.
As Yahoo previously disclosed in November, law enforcement provided the
company with data files that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data.
The company analyzed this data with the assistance of outside forensic
experts and found that it appears to be Yahoo user data. Based on
further analysis of this data by the forensic experts, Yahoo believes an
unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with
more than one billion user accounts. The company has not been able to
identify the intrusion associated with this theft. Yahoo believes this
incident is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on
September 22, 2016.
For potentially affected accounts, the stolen user account information
may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of
birth, hashed passwords (using MD5) and, in some cases, encrypted or
unencrypted security questions and answers. The investigation indicates
that the stolen information did not include passwords in clear text,
payment card data, or bank account information. Payment card data and
bank account information are not stored in the system the company
believes was affected.
Yahoo is notifying potentially affected users and has taken steps to
secure their accounts, including requiring users to change their
passwords. Yahoo has also invalidated unencrypted security questions and
answers so that they cannot be used to access an account.
Separately, Yahoo previously disclosed that its outside forensic experts
were investigating the creation of forged cookies that could allow an
intruder to access users' accounts without a password. Based on the
ongoing investigation, the company believes an unauthorized third party
accessed the company's proprietary code to learn how to forge cookies.
The outside forensic experts have identified user accounts for which
they believe forged cookies were taken or used. Yahoo is
notifying the affected account holders, and has invalidated the forged
cookies. The company has connected some of this activity to the same
state-sponsored actor believed to be responsible for the data theft the
company disclosed on September 22, 2016.
Yahoo encourages users to review all of their online accounts for
suspicious activity and to change their passwords 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 links or downloading attachments from
suspicious emails and that they be cautious of unsolicited
communications that ask for personal information. Additionally, Yahoo
recommends using Yahoo
Account Key, a simple authentication tool that eliminates the need
to use a password on Yahoo altogether.
Additional information is available on the Yahoo Account Security Issues
FAQs page: https://yahoo.com/security-update.
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 investigations involve potential risks and uncertainties. The
final conclusions of the investigations 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 September 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/20161214006239/en/
Yahoo
Suzanne Philion, +1 408-349-4040
sphilion@yahoo-inc.com
Source: Yahoo! Inc.
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