Yahoo reveal over ONE BILLION email accounts have been hacked
Tech giant says that data including names, telephone numbers and passwords has been stolen in a cyber-attack
YAHOO have confirmed that over one BILLION user accounts have been hacked.
The company have revealed that user data including names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and passwords has been stolen by 'an unauthorised third party'.
However, payment data and bank account information are not stored in the system the company believes was affected.
Yahoo say they are notifying potentially affected users and they have taken steps to secure their accounts, including requiring users to change their passwords.
The data was stolen in August 2013, which Yahoo confessed to in November - but the true extent of the hack was not known until now.
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The company say since they found out about the hack they have analysed the data and can now reveal how many users it has affected and how.
A Yahoo spokesperson said: "Based on further analysis of this data by the forensic experts, we believe an unauthorised third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts. "We have not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft."
They also say that they believe the hacker learned how to forge cookies - tiny files that are stored on your computer every time you visit a website and record data.
This meant that they could access emails without needing a password.
What should I do if I have a Yahoo account?
Yahoo say you can take the following steps to ensure your account is secure:
- Change your passwords and security questions and answers for any other accounts on which you used the same or similar information used for your Yahoo account
- Review all of 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
- Consider using, a simple authentication tool that eliminates the need to use a password on Yahoo altogether
The spokesperson added: "We previously disclosed that our 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, we believe an unauthorised third party accessed our 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. We are notifying the affected account holders, and have invalidated the forged cookies."
Eight million Brits were hit in another Yahoo hack, which happened in 2014 but was revealed in September, with their details reportedly being sold on the 'dark web' for around £1,400.
Yahoo have said that both hackings are separate incidents. with the September hacking 'state-sponsored' - as it was revealed that the tech giant created a tool for the US government to scan through people's private messages.
The company worked with either the FBI or National Security Agency to allow spooks unhindered access to Yahoo email databases.
The breach affected 500 million user accounts worldwide, who were then urged by experts to delete their accounts.
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