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Yahoo Hack Bypasses Passwords Using Forged Cookies

Posted: February 16, 2017 to News.

Tags: Data Breach, Digital Forensics, Malware

Poor Yahoo.  They were already involved in a data breach that compromised over a billion user accounts.  Now there's been another, new hack that they kinda sorta quietly let people know about two months ago. The latest attack was disclosed in a statement Yahoo released in December, but it was mostly overlooked because it was also talking about the August 2013 attack.  The latest attack was announced with this line: Based on the ongoing investigation, we believe a forged cookie may have been used in 2015 or 2016 to access your account. You might be wondering, "What is a forged cookie?"  As many people know, a cookie stores browser information.  The best example is the checkbox you probably use all the time when logging into a website that tells the website to keep your logged in or to remember the login information.  A forged cookie simply tricks the browser into thinking an account has already logged in. It's currently unknown how many Yahoo accounts were affected by this latest hack.

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Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

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