Hackers compromise 500 million Yahoo accounts; 'state-sponsored actor' suspected

NEW YORK – Yahoo confirmed on Thursday that it was hit by an enormous data breach that affected about 500 million accounts.

A press release from the company said the hack happened in late 2014, and that Yahoo believes it came from “a state-sponsored actor.”

Names, email addresses, phone numbers, hashed passwords, dates of birth and other information was among the information hackers collected.



Yahoo said it has taken steps to secure the accounts and is in the process of notifying customers.

The company said there is no evidence the hackers still have access to Yahoo’s systems, and said it is working closely with law enforcement on the matter.

If you haven’t changed your password since 2014, do so immediately.