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One Click That Destroyed Yahoo: A $500M Lesson

Posted: March 21, 2017 to News.

Tags: Malware, Data Breach, Compliance

One click.  One and a half billion users.  Five hundred million dollars.  Those are roughly the numbers involved in sordid story of Yahoo's sale to Verizon. As you probably already know, Verizon has been working on buying Yahoo, but a hacking scandal that compromised a mindblowing number of user accounts allowed Verizon to get a big discount on the purchase.  And it all happened because of one click. The FBI recently indicted four people in the massive hack.  They've now outlined how the hack happened in the first place, and it all started with a spear phishing campaign.  In a spear phishing attack, someone receives an email from what appears to be a trusted source.  They'll then open an attachment or click a link in the email, which opens them up to being infected with malware. The FBI hasn't said how many fraudulent emails were sent, but it only took one employee clicking one link to allow Yahoo's attackers into their system.  The rest is history. This one mistake cost Yahoo millions of dollars.  How much would it cost your business?  Make sure your employees are up-to-date in the best cybersecurity practices to help avoid a similar fate.

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About the Author

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.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books
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