Now, Yahoo to notify users about hacking attacks

Just last week, social networking heavyweight Twitter was reported to have sent emails to a number of its users, warning them of probable state-sponsored cyber-attacks that might have compromised their accounts with the microblogging platform.

None of the aforementioned companies, however, have pointed their fingers anywhere or taken any names as to which way these supposed “state-sponsored” cyber-attacks may be coming from.

Google and Facebook had previously also said that they will start informing their users if it believes their accounts are being targeted by “state-sponsored attacks”.

Yahoo will send notifications to victims of government- backed cyber attacks.

Once this is done, the user will be guided through a series of additional steps such as updating phone number or alternate recovery email address, and checking the mail forwarding and reply settings to safeguard the account.

Yahoo is careful to note that a notification doesn’t necessarily mean the account is being accessed.

“We’ll provide these specific notifications so that our users can take appropriate measures to protect their accounts and devices in light of these sophisticated attacks“. “In addition, these warnings to our users do not indicate that Yahoo’s internal systems have been compromised in any way”.

Other companies, like Facebook, Google and Twitter, have had a similar policy for a while. Owing to which, Yahoo will now notify its users if it suspects that the accounts have been targeted by a foreign cybercriminal. Rather, Lord says a notification means “we strongly suspect that you may have been a target of an attack”. With this announcement, Yahoo joins the list of companies that have already taken such measures.

Google, meanwhile, made this move in June 2012 for a subset of its users who it believed might be targets for phishing, malware or other attacks from state-sponsored “bad actors”. And now, in an effort to keep their users safe, Yahoo is promising to notify individuals “of attacks by suspected state-sponsored actors”.

Hackers – in this case, those linked to another country, such as China or Russian Federation – who can not crack corporate or government agency networks often seek to infiltrate an organization through employees’ personal accounts.