What to do if your Yahoo account is among the hacked? – Expansion MX

(CNNMoney) –

Yahoo confirmed on Thursday that was stolen information "associated with at least 500 million accounts of users" in what may be one of the gaps of cybersecurity greatest of the history.

The company said it believes that an "actor of the State" is behind the breach, giving to understand that he was an individual act on behalf of a government. The incident occurred at the end of 2014, according to the company.

first and most importantly, change your password immediately. All of the owners of Yahoo accounts should also change your security questions and answers.

If your account is one of the Yahoo suspect that you were compromised, you will be prompted to change the password as soon as you try to access. If you used the same password on other accounts you should also change them.

check out these steps to keep safe your online accounts

1. Change your password often

Yahoo is asking those who have not changed their password since 2014 to do so immediately. This is a helpful tip for all: passwords should be changed often. Not always you will receive notification of a company, and you may not get a hack until it’s too late. In this case it took the company two years.

2. Never use the same password twice

Repeat after us: never use the same password twice. If you do so, and the hackers gain access to your password, they can enter many of your accounts.

3. Choose your password

Thinks of using a phrase instead of single words that can be easily guessed. Don’t use common phrases: pick a weird combination, but easy to remember.

Avoid using common passwords such as 1-2-3-4-5-6 or p-a-s-s-w-o-r-d and strives to include a mix of letters, numbers and signs.

4. Use a password manager

Due to that strong passwords are difficult to remember, try to use a manager like 1Password or LastPass. These platforms generate and save passwords and security questions for each account that you have. You just need to remember a primary key.

5. Update your security questions

If you forget a password, use the security questions will help you to regain control of your account. But some security questions and answers from Yahoo were part of the leak.

If you often use the same security questions and answers, cámbialas. Avoid using obvious questions and do not give answers that you can find by doing a search on Google.

6. Stay alert

Yahoo is asking users to check their accounts to see if they see anything suspicious. Although it does not say specifically what they are looking for, start by checking your sent emails.

Be careful not to click on links or open files from unknown addresses. If you sent an email asking for your password, that is a warning sign, even though it appears to come from a legitimate site, like your bank, or your mail server. Never share information about your accounts by e-mail.

7. Activates two-step authentication

A password alone is not a strong line of defense. Add a second type of authentication such as a code sent by text message or generated by an application can help you to make more secure your accounts.

Yahoo has been asked by the people who activate the tool Yahoo Account Key. Even eliminates the need to remember your password.