Yahoo users concerned about the security breach will be notified directly via email by the company, according to a page on its website detailing the breach and the steps it is taking to deal with the situation.
"We are notifying potentially affected users and posting additional information on our website. Additionally, we are taking steps to secure users' accounts, including requiring users to change their passwords. Yahoo has also invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers so that they cannot be used to access an account."
In the email being sent to affected users, Yahoo suggests actions users can take on their own to further safeguard themselves while using private internet accounts. The steps are not Yahoo-specific and can be seen as common sense measures all people should be taking to keep their data safe online.
"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."
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."
With two major security breaches at Yahoo, dozens of stories about hacking of large corporations, countless tales of identity theft, the WikiLeaks Podesta leaks that rocked politics in 2016, and even the suggestion by some within the U.S. government that Russia could have "hacked" the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump, one can only hope that 2017 will finally be the year that people start taking the issue of internet security seriously. One thing we can all be sure of is that this breach at Yahoo won't be the last time the issue of internet security makes headlines. We are living in a brave new world, and none of us really know exactly where it's heading.
[Featured Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
