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An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

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Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#121

"The data stolen may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and hashed passwords but may not have included unprotected passwords, payment card data or bank account information, the company said." What's the difference between "may have" and "may not have" in this context? It seems like they're saying anything could have been stolen.

> may not have included unprotected passwords

Yeah, they shouldn't have unprotected passwords in any way, shape, or form. The statement makes it sound like they do store unprotected passwords, but they don't think those were stolen.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#122

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

In this case, most are looking to how Verizon responds. The share price should be near equivalent to acquisition price. Verizon pulling out of the deal would see it plummet in my opinion.

Edit: acquisition offer usually priced into share price, harder to calculate in this situation since Verizon isn't buying the whole company and all assets.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#123

Moving email addresses out from one provider and creating another one is more difficult than moving phone numbers (in the latter case, number portability could help, if available). What exactly can an average/common end user do for such incidents, even if it is to avoid them in the future? I use different passwords across accounts, with all of them being somewhat complex or very complex. I have looked at a few differ…

Just because you move to a paid email provider doesn't mean that provider won't get hacked. In fact, the resources at larger companies like Google could provider better protection.

Perhaps the benefit of being at a paid email provider is that they have a much smaller number of accounts, so they are a less attractive target for hackers.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#124
post #107

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

Investors are conflicted: on the one hand, Yahoo had a data breach that will cost them trust, but on the other hand, investors are surprised to hear there are still 500 million Yahoo users.

Nobody said they were active users.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#125
post #107

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

Investors are conflicted: on the one hand, Yahoo had a data breach that will cost them trust, but on the other hand, investors are surprised to hear there are still 500 million Yahoo users.

bants

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#126

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

[deleted]

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand what difference it makes if it's state-sponsored or not. It seems like Yahoo's PR wants to switch focus to state-sponsored hacking and form a narrative around what's been in the news lately as opposed to Yahoo's incompetence. Also it's less embarrassing to get hacked by a whole nation than a few nerds in their basement.

IMO: State attack = a state steals the access and keep the breach secret for as long as they can [or until they get hacked themselves]. They use it for espionage and similar purposes Evil bad guy = all accounts and passwords are already available on blackmarket.com since Day+1 after the breach. They'll probably end up in a torrent within the next month. Evil bad guy sponsored by a state = Well, somewhere between the…

Once the accounts are for sale on the black market (they are), then the distinction between state and non-state is moot.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#128
post #98

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

Yahoo has zero value as a web property. What value there is on the name and the advertising side.

To the parent comment's point, this is the sort of thing that should have a negative effect on brand/name.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#129

Yahoo will survive this regardless of their 'state sponsored' hand waving or not. The day the same happens to Google or Facebook will be very different.

Will it? Why? If anything, Google and Facebook seem to be more firmly entrenched in everyone's day-to-day lives and are more likely to get the "too big to fail" treatment.

It will be more newsworthy. Nothing to do with the impact. Though I do suspect Google and Facebook devote more resources these days to security than Yahoo.

Re: An Important Message About Yahoo User Security

#130

You'd think this would affect the stock price, but currently YHOO only trading down 8 cents (-0.18%). I honestly see this all the time. What sounds like really horrible news for a company, does not affect the price. Howerver, some random analyst or reporter who works at the Mercury Star Sun Inquirer writes a negative article or downgrade and the stock tanks. Doesn't make much sense.

The horrible news is already baked in. The entire value of the company is Ali Baba. If this breaks the acquisition or causes shareholder suits, then it's a problem.
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