Yahoo confirmed the world’s biggest data breach in history as over 500 million accounts were compromised because of the security issues. Over 500 million users’ data have been stolen by cyber-criminals. The company is blaming state-sponsored hackers. Yahoo reported that the intrusion apparently began in 2014.
Yahoo is currently asking users to change their passwords and other security related stuff. According to Yahoo, “leaked account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.”
Yahoo also included, “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.”
Users need to change their account password and security questions as well. Yahoo is working closely with law enforcement on this matter. Yahoo took two years to discover and report its users of the massive data breach.
Users’ credentials were out on dark web for nearly two months before Yahoo confirmed the data breach and notified its users as reports of the hack surfaced early August. Yahoo said at the time that it was “aware of the claim” and its security team was “working to determine the facts.”
Verizon is in the process to acquire Yahoo’s core business for $4.8 billion stated that it was only notified of the issue by Yahoo “within the last two days.” Yahoo made the deal with Verizon the same month it learned of issue. However, Yahoo is declining to say whether it was known of the hack before or after that deal with Verizon was announced.