Back in the old days (pre-2014) BT’s internet customers could take advantage of an email system provided by Yahoo. They imaginatively called it BT Yahoo Mail.
In May 2013, BT announced it would start shifting its customers to a new system. The news was welcomed as there had been many complaints from users saying that their BT Yahoo Mail accounts had been compromised and used to send out spam messages.
Now, in 2016, we hear that Yahoo was massively hacked two years ago and that at least 500 million customer records have been stolen.
So, does that mean users of BT Yahoo Mail are at risk too?
Right now, BT isn’t sure.
Here’s the statement they gave me:
“BT is currently investigating the Yahoo data breach. As a precaution for the minority of our customers who use Yahoo mail, we are advising those who haven’t changed their passwords post-December 2014 to change them.”
I would recommend going further than changing your Yahoo passwords if you haven’t reset it since late 2014. You should also ensure that you are not using the same password anywhere else on the web (password reuse is a cardinal sin) and that you have enabled two-step verification on as many of your online accounts as you can.
Furthermore, because Yahoo has admitted that security questions and answers have also been grabbed by the hackers, you should be careful to ensure that they don’t also come back to haunt you. It’s easy to imagine how a hacker could – perhaps with a little dab of social engineering – try to use the answers to secret questions to trick other online services into providing them access to accounts.
It doesn’t appear that the Yahoo hack has exposed 500 million passwords thank goodness. But it still makes sense to take precautions.
Read more about two-step verification:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) versus two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Facebook account from hackers
- How to better protect your Twitter account from hackers
- How to enable two-step verification (2SV) on your WhatsApp Account
- How to protect your Amazon account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Google account with two-step Verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Dropbox account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Office 365 users with multi-factor authentication
- How to protect your Microsoft account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Tumblr account from hackers with 2SV
- How to protect your LinkedIn account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your PayPal account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Yahoo account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Apple ID account against hackers
- How to better protect your Google account with two-step verification and Google Authenticator
- How to protect your Hootsuite account from hackers
- How to better protect your Instagram account with two-step verification (2SV)
- Instagram finally supports third-party 2FA apps for greater account security
- How to protect your Nintendo account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Roblox account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
… Again …
1) Don't reuse passwords
2) The "security questions" you give them, are actually an alternative password. Don't reuse those either. I give a different "mother's maiden name" each time I'm asked for that.
how do I Change my password?
how do I change my password
To change your password, log into your Yahoo account. Then click on your name at the top right of the page. In the box that appears, click on "Account Info". On the left side of the page that this takes you to (it may be in a new tab) click on "Account security". You will see the "Change password" option.
how do I change my password