**Note to users about phishing scams**
Below is the text of the email notice sent by Yahoo to potentially affected users. Please
note that the email from Yahoo about this issue does
not
ask you to click on any links or
contain attachments and does
not
request your personal information. If an email you
receive about this issue prompts you to click on a link, download an attachment, or asks
you for information, the email was not sent by Yahoo and may be an attempt to steal
your personal information. Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from
such suspicious emails.
------------------------------------------------
NOTICE OF DATA BREACH
Dear [personalized salutation],
We are writing to inform you about a data security issue that may involve your Yahoo
account information.
What Happened?
A recent investigation by Yahoo has confirmed that a copy of certain user account
information was stolen from our systems in late 2014 by what we believe is a state-
sponsored actor. We are closely coordinating with law enforcement on this matter and
working diligently to protect you.
What Information Was Involved?
The stolen user account information may have included names, email addresses,
telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (the vast majority with bcrypt)
and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers. Not all
of these data elements may have been present for your account. The ongoing
investigation suggests that stolen information did not include unprotected passwords,
payment card data, or bank account information; payment card data and bank account
information are not stored in the system that the investigation has found to be affected.
What We Are Doing
We are taking action to protect our users:
