Earlier this week, Yahoo confirmed the hack of its database with over 1 billion password hashes stolen by hackers. And without breaking a sweat, hackers could crack the hashes into plain text passwords.

This means billion of the mail users are at mercy of stolen password and stolen identity. We all know passwords are the keys to our digital properties, so if you own a Yahoo account and don't want any bad guy to near your digital property with Yahoo, I implore you to follow the following must-dos.

6 Must-dos To Protect Your Yahoo Mail Against Hackers.

1. Change your password: Yahoo suggested this already, and common sense must have guided you to doing this, too. However if you forget or you don’t plan to change your password, please do straight away.

Changing your password renders the stolen password hashes useless (in your case). The result of the analysis of the hashes would give the hackers your old password which will be invalid.

2. Delete welcome messages of registrations: When you register on a number of websites, your username and password are sent to your email as part of a welcome message. Access to these kinds of messages by hackers makes you vulnerable to multiple hacks on those websites.

Therefore, my advice is, you search your email for welcome messages you received from websites you registered on. When you see these messages delete them. If you are afraid that you would forget the login details in the messages, you can copy them offline or save them to cloud.

3. Ensure inbox messages are not forwarding: If an email is set to auto-forward, all messages entering the inbox would automatically forward to the receiving email. If a hacker has accessed your email before you, he might have set your inbox to auto-forward to his email. So ensure your email is not forwarding to somewhere.

To check forwarding settings in Yahoo Mail, click on the Gear Icon, then on Settings, then on Account Tab, then on your default email address, then scroll down on the pop-up window until you see Access your Yahoo Mail elsewhere. Ensure the box below it is unchecked.

4. Enable two-step verification: This allows Yahoo to add extra layer of security to your account. When enabled, a security code would be sent to your phone anytime you or someone is trying to access your mail from a new device. This code will be in addition to entering your account password.

To enable two-step verification, click on where you see your name at the top right corner, beside Home. Then click on Account Info—this will open a new tab. On the new tab, click on Account Security, then click on the Switch in front of Two step verification to enable it.

5. Watch out for phishing: Hackers know that most Yahoo Mail users would have changed their passwords after the announcement of this incident. So they need a way to get back valid passwords and phishing is one of the surest ways to get them.

Consequently, they would be sending out phishing messages to users—disguising as Yahoo support staff— and asking users to re-verify their new passwords. Be on the look out; ensure the emails you receive about password verification is directly from Yahoo.

While access my Yahoo Mail after this breach incident, Yahoo used pop-up windows to notify me that I might have been affected by the hack and then asked me to take some actions. You should see something like that, too. Any email asking you to click a link that redirects you to another website that asks you to input your new password is a red flag.

6. Consider switching to Gmail: Personally I have discarded Yahoo since the days when one will need to fight World War III with CAPTCHAs before you can sign in to your account. All my communications with email is now on Gmail. I think Gmail is easy to use, more secure and its interface is cool. You can even customize Gmail to look the way you want. Moreover, Gmail provides you with some value added services that other email service providers do not.

These 6 must-dos are what I advise all Yahoo Mail users to do before it is too late. The first five on the list are the real must-dos that you must do if you like to continue using Yahoo Mail. If you don’t trust Yahoo again, my number six must-do should be enough for you. But while switching to Gmail, make sure you delete messages in your Yahoo inbox and possibly deactivate the account. This ensures nobody would ever access messages in the inbox again.

Source: http://howtotechnaija.com/6-must-dos-yahoo-mail-users-must-1-billion-accounts-hack/

one has to be very vigilant with his private details especially concerning finance, since yahoo can be hacked means no site is immune of hacking.

even nairaland sef

Singing koni da fun Awon scrap yii oo

Won lowo YAHOO Lo help me oooo

You mean to tell me that they have hacked this password too??

+×÷=%__€€¥¥¥₩₩₩₩₩$##$^&&

nothing is truly safe on the internet. what if people have sex tapes in their draft box. abeg na Seun own I wan see

Thanks for the Prompt info

Very instructive

Yahoo hacked?

When?

How?

Who still use yahoo?

This is really sad for yahoo, upon all the security measures they could still be hacked to this magnitude smh!

Tank God for gmail

Informative... gracias

nice tips

haa. i get nude pics for my yahoo mail wey i upload 2007. pls am i safe. heheheh

[size=18pt] 6 is unreasonable [/size]

Did googlé pay you

Ok

Busted Yahoo since 351BC
Gmail ti take Over.

I cover my yahoomail with the blood......

kiete:
This is really sad for yahoo, upon all the security measures they could still be hacked to this magnitude smh!

My brother, don't be deceived. Yahoo didn't invest anything in security.

The yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer refused to fund the security team to implement their proposed security measures.

In fact, one member of the yahoo security team, Alex Stamos, got very angry with the CEO, resigned from yahoo and got hired by facebook!

So yahoo had never been secure. There have been more breaches than this, but the CEO decided to keep it away from the news. But the last three hacks they got are too big to hide.

Unlike google that announces every breach they get. That makes them get help and suggestions from freelance security experts.

left yahoo since 1880

who still uses yahoo, anyway happy birthday to me

Gmail could be behind the hacking. To make people dump yahoo mail

I am very sorry to ask! Who still they use yahoo mail in Nigeria? Since Gmail Don take over.... it is always hectic to sign in to my yahoomail then... so I Don 4get am.... if dem like make dem hack




Gmail is very flexible to go around with!

So people still use yahoo mail? Have abandoned mine since 1900. I won't waste data to do anything. Let my yahoo mail even be among the hacked accounts I do not care.

Is this true? Somebody pls confirm

How do I know that my account has been compromised in the first place?

Nothing signifies that, but I will take precaution.

Did the hacker wire extra millions into my account If not,they can have it

.it look like yahoo is getting hacked everyday.

it must be those Russian hackers.