Yahoo says all 3 billion users affected by 2013 hack

 A cyberattack in 2013 compromised data of all 3 billion Yahoo users, the internet company’s parent said on Tuesday.

The new announcement revised sharply upward the initial estimate that 1 billion accounts were affected in the massive data breach.

Verizon said it obtained “new intelligence” following a probe conducted with the help of outside forensic experts into the cyberattack that resulted in the largest known data breach in history.

“The investigation indicates that the user account information that was stolen did not include passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information,” Verizon’s internet unit Oath said in a statement.

Yahoo is sending email notifications to the additional affected user accounts, Oath added.

Yahoo first disclosed the cyber attack in December 2016, when it was in the process of being acquired by Verizon. It said the data stolen may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, date of birth and security questions and answers.

Yahoo was hit by another cyber attack in 2014 when hackers stole personal data from more than 500 million of its user accounts.

The data breach revelations allowed Verizon to renegotiate Yahoo’s price tag. 

ap/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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