BLOG

Half A BILLION Yahoo Passwords Hacked – See How To Protect Your Account

Half A BILLION Yahoo Passwords Hacked – See How To Protect Your Account

Yahoo just revealed that their accounts are under attack and now over 500 million of users may be victims. Even more, you could be one of the victims, considering the large number of accounts hacked! If you think you’re covered simply because you haven’t used your account in almost a year, you’re not. The stolen data go back to 2012 so you should be on red alert by now.


So how do you make sure your account is safe? Onsite Helper put together a quick step-by-step plan that will help you check the safety of your account and prevent any damages to your data.  


The first step is to change your password. Regardless of the fact that you have an email or Flickr account, this first step must be taken as quickly as possible. For this, follow the steps below:

  1. Access your account go to Account Security Change password. Make sure your new password is complex enough (no birthdates or dog names). However, make sure it’s a password you can remember and don’t need to write down. Your best pick is a random phrase you tend to use too often.
  2. Disable the security questions step. It seems that these questions were also hacked and this can be a security flaw for other accounts as well. So, make sure to check your other accounts where you used the same security question.
  3. Turn on two-step verification from the security page of your account. This involves a text being sent to your phone for access and it doubles the security level. It may take a bit longer but it makes sure no one is snooping around your account.

Now, after you went through these 3 steps, your yahoo account is secure. However, your other accounts are not. These data will be sold and tested against every online platform possible so, if you are the kind of person to use the same username and password on multiple online accounts (95% of people do), you’re in danger! So, the next step is to check all your other accounts and follow these 3 steps:

  1. Change your password on other accounts as well.
  2. Change the security question
  3. Setup two-step verification where possible

Make sure to implement these steps as quickly as possible. This way, you protect the integrity of your online accounts and your online data.


Another recommendation is to setup a password management service like Last Pass. These password management tools are great as they enable you to easily have a different password for every online account you have so if your Yahoo account gets hacked again, the hackers cant try your email and password against other online services like Gmail. With Last Pass you can also share your login details with others without them knowing your password.

 This is ideal for small businesses where staff need to login to multiple online services, you can centrally manage it all.


Speak to an Onsite Helper  Engineer if you would like help setting up enhanced security for your business.  1300 889 839

Recent Posts

Ever Wondered How Your IT Universe Stacks Up? Drop Us A Line, And We’ll Help Paint You A Picture.

  • Our customers love us, we know you will too. Proven track record of customer satisfaction
  • Your Goals are our Goals
  • Get connected with Tech guys in the know
  • We will keep you up to date and communicate in plain english – no IT Jargon
  • When it comes to your business, security is our #1 priority!
Google Cloud Partner

Contact Us

Fill out the form below so we can sit down and have a chat.