Online:
Visits:
Stories:
Profile image
By RedState (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views

Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

Yahoo Confirms Largest Data Breach Of All Time By ‘State Sponsored Actor’

Thursday, September 22, 2016 18:18
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

(Before It's News)

500 million accounts. That’s how many were compromised in late 2014 in a data breach Yahoo says was the work of a “state sponsored actor” – that is somebody working on behalf of a foreign government.

More here from the Chicago Tribune:

Computer hackers swiped personal information from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts in what is believed to be the biggest digital break-in at an email provider.

The massive security breakdown disclosed Thursday poses new headaches for beleaguered Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer as she scrambles to close a $4.8 billion sale to Verizon .

The breach dates back to late 2014, raising questions about the checks and balances within Yahoo — a fallen internet star that has been laying off staff and trimming expenses to counter a steep drop in revenue during the past eight years.

At the time of the break-in, Yahoo’s security team was led by Alex Stamos, a respected industry executive who left last year to take a similar job at Facebook.

Of course one wonders what in the world took so long. Yahoo says no bank or credit card information was compromised but what was taken could be far worse:

The data stolen from Yahoo includes users’ names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, scrambled passwords, and the security questions — and answers — used to verify an accountholder’s identity. The company said the attacker didn’t get any information about its users’ bank accounts or credit and debit cards.

Security experts say the Yahoo theft could hurt the affected users if their personal information is mined to break into other online services or used for identity theft. All affected users will be notified about the theft and advised how to protect themselves, according to the company.

That’s not good. CEO Marissa Mayer, in the eyes of analysts has not done a bang up job since being appointed CEO in 2012.

This breach could put the sale to Verizon, a deal worth $4.8 billion, in possible jeopardy. Even if the deal goes through, Mayer’s position will likely be in jeopardy. Not that we should feel too sorry for her. If Mayer was terminated by Verizon, she would leave with severance package worth $44 million.

The post Yahoo Confirms Largest Data Breach Of All Time By ‘State Sponsored Actor’ appeared first on RedState.



Source: http://www.redstate.com/jaycaruso/2016/09/22/yahoo-confirms-largest-data-breach-time-state-sponsored-actor/

Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

Total 1 comment
  • good. verizon is another monopoly seeking monster. screw their merger.

Top Stories
Recent Stories

Register

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.