Yahoo confirms theft of 450K unencrypted passwords

Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail

Yahoo today confirmed that 450,000 unencrypted usernames and passwords were stolen Wednesday from one of its services, although it downplayed the threat. “We confirm that an older file from Yahoo! Contributor Network, previously Associated Content, containing approximately 450,000 Yahoo! and other company usernames and passwords was compromised yesterday, July 11,” Yahoo said in a statement forwarded by a company spokeswoman Thursday. “Of these, less than 5% of the Yahoo! accounts had valid passwords,” the company maintained. However, it did not say what percentage of the remaining accounts, which included over 100,000 Gmail addresses and more than 55,000 Hotmail addresses, included valid passwords. Read the full story at ComputerWorld.

Author:

Shelly Palmer

Shelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York's On-air Tech Expert (WNYW-TV) and the host of Fox Television's monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living. He also hosts United Stations Radio Network's, Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily, a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology, media, and entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group, LLC an industry-leading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards).