Given all the reported breaches Yahoo has reluctantly publicized, not a small number of analysts and pundits were surprised that Verizon was still in discussions to purchase the beleaguered Internet company. Even more surprising was the amount of money being offered for what many see as a dying brand. It seems Yahoo can’t get sold quickly enough, as reports are now rolling in that Verizon’s engineers believe that some Yahoo systems may still be compromised. The cost of selling used and damaged goods? Another $350M off the table, bringing the current deal down to just under $4.5B.
What this means for you:
If you are still maintaining a Yahoo email account or hosting your website with their Small Business services, you should urgently consider migrating to a more reliable and reputable provider. Regardless of whether Verizon is somehow magically able to revive any of Yahoo’s flagging applications, the fact that Yahoo infrastructure might still be compromised after more than a year means your information is at high risk and Yahoo has not invested enough effort in making sure you are safe. If you don’t use any Yahoo services, their plight illustrates two valuable lessons:
- Breaches aren’t necessarily an “in and out” type of event – this isn’t a real-world burglary. If they are breaching your system for the purposes of stealing information, attackers will try to stay undetected for as long as possible, and will spread to as many systems as they can while keeping below the radar.
- A security incident, even if handled properly, can significantly damage the value of your company and brand, and if not handled correctly and diligently from the start, can continue to wreak havoc on your bottom line.
