Yahoo account holders got an ugly surprise recently when they learned that a 2014 hack exposed the data of more than 500 million users. This seems like a good time for our Austin IT support team to point out what valuable lessons such an immense problems can teach about online security.

 Passwords should be taken seriously. Yahoo asked account holders to change their passwords if they hadn't done so since 2014. Actually, you should change your critical passwords periodically without ever re-using previous ones. You also need to make them complex and “un-guessable” as possible.

Other critical data is at stake too. Among the various types of information pilfered in the Yahoo data breach, at least the password data was encrypted by a relatively strong technique called hashing. Other data such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdates and addresses weren't similarly protected. You need to be implementing strong programs to encrypt sensitive information in your databases and other everyday programs just in case a hacker gets that far into your system.

Malware awareness is critical. Yahoo account holders whose phone numbers or email addresses were breached can expect to receive spoofing, phishing and other malware-spreading attempts. This breach should serve as a reminder to everyone: Never open an attachment to an email from a source you don't recognize, reply to such emails or return fishy-sounding phone calls.

 Our business IT support techs in Austin can protect your further by providing top-quality firewall systems, anti-virus programs and other data security services. Contact us and let's protect your information!

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