Ailing tech giant Yahoo may soon confirm a data breach affecting hundreds of millions of accounts, according to a report from tech site re/code. If confirmed, the breach would be among the largest on record.
The report, which cited multiple anonymous sources familiar with the situation, said the announcement is expected this week. If it happens, it would come as Yahoo is on the brink of finalizing a $4.8 billion deal to sell off its core business to Verizon.
Yahoo did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about the re/code report.
However, Yahoo told Vice’s Motherboard blog earlier this summer that it was investigating an alleged breach after the news outlet found that a cybercriminal using the handle “Peace” claimed to be offering 200 million Yahoo user credentials for sale online. The data was advertised on the “dark web” — a part of the internet accessible only through the use of special software such as the anonymous browsing tool Tor and often associated with illicit activities.
The data allegedly included usernames, encrypted passwords, birth dates and in some cases alternative email addresses. Peace told Motherboard the data were from “2012, most likely.”
The same hacker also has claimed to have massive troves of data about LinkedIn and MySpace users in recent months.