Over 1 billion Yahoo user information has been compromised by a massive data breach according to the internet giant. The attack reportedly happened in 2013 and 2014. Both were recognized as the largest known security breaches against Yahoo.
However, Yahoo believes that both incidents are distinct from one another and insisted that the hackers are no longer in its corporate network. In the 2014 attack, outside forensics experts believe that the hackers created forged cookies to impersonate valid users that paved the way in gaining information and performing actions on behalf of the real account holder.
This revelation could impact the $4.83 billion deal between Verizon and Yahoo. Verizon has recently raised alarm over a statement and said that the 2014 breach could be considered as a material event that may allow it to change the terms of the said deal. The deal was announced last July and is expected to close in early 2017, The Washington Post reported.
In its disclosure, Yahoo said that the attack involved sensitive user information such as dates of birth, telephone numbers, names and encrypted passwords. To address the issue, the company is invalidating unencrypted security questions and is now forcing all of the affected users to change their passwords.
According to Yahoo chief information security officer, an unnamed third party claimed access to Yahoo users information. He went to say that the perpetrator in the 2014 attack that stole Yahoo's proprietary source code is state-sponsored, The New York Times reported. However, the company has not disclosed the suspect behind the attack.
For its part Yahoo spokesman promised that the investigation will continue to evaluate the situation. Likewise, the company promised that it will review the impact of the development before reaching any conclusion.
Watch the video below for more information about the security breach:
