500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever

Bob Lord, Yahoo's chief information security officer, has sent the notice of data breach email message below to Yahoo users, educating them about the data breach at Yahoo that occurred in late 2014, and telling them what they should do to help protect themselves. Yahoo has confirmed that approximately 500 million user accounts information have been stolen in the data breach, which is considered the largest cybersecurity breach ever.

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500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever

The Yahoo Notice of Data Breach Email

From: Yahoo

Subject: Important Message Regarding Your Account Security

Date: Fri 9/23/16 3:56 PM

NOTICE OF DATA BREACH

Dear,

We are writing to inform you about a data security issue that may involve your Yahoo account information.

What Happened?

A recent investigation by Yahoo has confirmed that a copy of certain user account information was stolen I from our systems in late 2014 by what we believe is a state-sponsored actor. We are closely coordinating with law enforcement on this matter and working diligently to protect you.

What Information Was Involved?

The stolen user 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. Not all of these data elements may have been present for your account. 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 found to be affected.

What We Are Doing

We are taking action to protect our users:

We are asking potentially affected users to promptly change their passwords and adopt alternate means of account verification.

We invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers so they cannot be used to access an account.

We are recommending that all users who haven't changed their passwords since 2014 do so.

We continue to enhance our systems that detect and prevent unauthorized access to user accounts.

We are working closely with law enforcement on this matter.

Our investigation into this matter continues.

What You Can Do

We encourage you to follow these security recommendations:

Change your password and security questions 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.

Additionally, please consider using Yahoo Account Key, a simple authentication tool that eliminates the need to use a password altogether.

For More Information

For more information about this issue and our security resources, please visit the Yahoo Security Issue FAQs page available at https://yahoo.com/security-update.

Protecting your information is important to us and we work continuously to strengthen our defenses against the threats targeting our industry.

Sincerely,

Bob Lord

Chief Information Security Officer

Yahoo

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 4)

To protect your privacy, please remove sensitive or identifiable information from your comments, questions, or reviews. We will use your IP address to display your approximate location to other users when you make a post. That location is not enough to find you.

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December 16, 2016 at 11:34 AM by
500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever
an anonymous user from: Sutter Creek, California, United States

I went through the steps provided to change my password and it won't let me. This is very upsetting. I need access to my account. There is no one to contact to get this solved and no number to call. It keeps sending me to the pages that I have already tried and it didn't work. I can receive my e-mails but can't get to me mail box or sign into my account. I need someone who can help me get to access my account. It tells me that Yahoo can't help me online. So someone needs to contact me asap.

Delete

December 15, 2016 at 5:29 PM by
500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever
an anonymous user from: Scotts Valley, California, United States

I'd like to change my password. But you won't say how. How?

Delete

December 15, 2016 at 5:49 PM by
500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever
info

<a href="https://ph.help.yahoo.com/kb/recover-reset-yahoo-password-sln27051.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for instructions.

Delete

November 2, 2016 at 9:44 AM by
500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever
an anonymous user from: Eugene, Oregon, United States

How in the h**l can I prove I am not a robot? I have been trying to get into my yahoo account and can't get pass the password and when I ask for help I have to give my email address which gets me right back to "prove you are not a robot" and the continue button gets you nowhere because it does not respond! I am very tired of this game!

btw-cannot access my email either!

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

500 Million Yahoo User Accounts Information Stolen, Largest Cybersecurity Breach Ever