Yahoo Gets Hacked – What Should Users Do Now?


Filed under: IT Support


Yahoo! World HeadquartersJust this week, Yahoo released the unfortunate news that up to one billion user accounts may have been breached. It has happened previously, with one security issue occurring in 2014 and another way back in August of 2013.

The problem with these events is twofold. First, there is the obvious danger of criminals having access to your Yahoo account. Your emails might contain sensitive information about yourself or clients, and the account could possibly be used to send scam emails to everyone on your contacts list. Even worse, though, is the fact that you might have linked your account to services such as Paypal. This puts your checking account and credit card information at risk.

Additionally,those security questions that can help you unlock your account if you ever forget your password contain personal information about you. If you’ve used the same questions (and answers) elsewhere online, hackers could potentially unlock your accounts such as Facebook, online banking, your favorite retailers, and more.

Yahoo issued a statement this week, advised all users to log into their accounts, change their passwords, and then choose new security questions and answers. It’s also a good time to review your backup information, such as alternate email accounts and phone numbers, to ensure that you can get into your account if you are ever locked out.

While you’re at it, make sure not to use the same password for Yahoo that you use for any other online accounts. That way, if hackers ever do get a hold of your email password, they can’t use it to get into any other accounts. Yes, this can make it difficult to keep up with all of your passwords, but it’s worth the extra trouble.

In fact, you should avoid using the same passwords for any of your online accounts.  There are programs that can help you keep up with all of your security information, or you can simply write them down somewhere and store the information in a safe place (such as a fireproof box or even a desk drawer that locks).

For more information about online security, or for help with your IT needs, contact Victoria Rausch of Davik Consulting, Inc. at 888-RING-MY-TECH.