Yahoo confirmed this afternoon that user information, such as names, email addresses, birth dates, and even unencrypted security questions & answers have been stolen. According to the announcement, the information for at least 500 million Yahoo users was stolen from the company’s network in late 2014 by what Yahoo is calling a “state-sponsored actor.” State sponsored simply means an individual or group of individuals acting on behalf of a government body.
On the bright side of this awful news, Yahoo announced that unaffected items include unprotected passwords, payment card data, or banking information. All of that information is kept separately, away from the system that Yahoo’s internal investigation has found to be affected.
Yahoo states it is working with law enforcement on the matter.
As a Yahoo user, here’s what you need to do immediately.
- Change your password and security questions and answers for any other accounts on which you used the same or similar information used for your Yahoo account.
- Review your accounts for suspicious activity.
- Be cautious of any unsolicited communications that ask for your personal information or refer you to a web page asking for personal information.
- Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails.
If and when any additional information is made public, we will update our readers.
Via: Yahoo