…with that many accounts, there is clearly a demand for hacking into these accounts. I don’t condone anything illegal, but I do believe that information should be freely available on the internet, no matter the subject, and that there are many situations and good reasons for doing so. I leave that up to you to decide.
E-mail is not public information on the internet. Is it? Is it supposed to be as open as Wikipedia articles?
also says:
there are 2 foolproof methods to do it. Spying and Phishing. They are both methods of social engineering, or in other words, the target unknowingly gives you their password. The only people that know the password are Yahoo and the target themselves, so who do you think it is easier to get from?
and:
Getting spy software onto the computer is easy, especially if you have physical access to it. Can you count how many times your computer has gotten a virus or suspicious email? It’s the same thing.
So what’s the best spy software to use?
If you have physical access to the computer, you are practically guaranteed the password. A good program is completely stealthy with a host of features, which I recommend you get AceSpy. It’s an advanced spy software mainly for monitoring your kids or employees silently and discreetly.
Wow.
Then there's a more technical page I came across. Kinda scary, because it sounds like it might work:
Hi Linda Murphy,
Yes, the information to which you linked is a "small part" of a very determined and technically sophisticated element which uses the internet opportunistically to expand upon their nefarious interests.
The article also gives its own best deterrent advice… Don't look at… and don't even click to open… any email that is strange to you.
But then to beg the question…
What if the Yahoo Account of one of your own familiar friends has been compromised by one of these hacker?
And then one day you receive an Email from your friend which says: "Have a look at the cute puppy we just got for our family."… with an attached file that is supposedly a picture of the puppy.
???
You've heard the best additional advice from various of our staff and members, over and over…
Keep your Windows operating system updated and patched.
Run one real-time Antivirus (keep it updated)
Use the Windows Firewall or a third-party firewall if you prefer.
AntiSpyware - Of the available choices, I prefer the "paid version" of Malwarebytes. (keep it updated)
— there are definitely others and a few free choices but I am not reluctant to recommend paid version of Malwarebytes.
Use a Hosts File to block unwanted advertisement and dangerous sites.
If you travel or use commercial internet access hot-spots…. never presume that the network is secure.
If you leave your machine where others can have physical access to it… If you run Windows 7, use the native Bit-Locker encryption.
If you use an older Windows operating system, consider something like ZoneAlarm's DataLock, which costs $39.95.
Above all…. Use good judgment with regard to email and web browsing.
Yahoo Mail, should do most of the above for you online as part of your account… except you still have to exercise your own good judgment and physical access security and maintain local security on your machine.
If a hacker has already obtained the username and password of your email account, the first thing they are likely to do is change the password, registration email addy, and security questions. Essentially, you no longer "own" the email account. And there is very little you can do about it from that point onward.
Inform Yahoo or whatever service, plus inform your friends.
Create a new email account and guard the password!
