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Telecom Cancels Current Passwords of Compromised Accounts

Telecom Cancels Current Passwords of Additional Yahoo! Xtra Compromised Email Accounts
 
Telecom has tonight begun cancelling the current passwords of around 60,000 Yahoo! Xtra email accounts it believes to have been compromised following a cyber attack last weekend.
 
These additional 60,000 customers, on top of the existing 15,000 that Telecom has been contacting over the past few days, will now be required to enter new password information when logging into their email account.
 
The move by Telecom is aimed at protecting its email customers and preventing information contained within their emails being accessed although to date there is no confirmed evidence, by Yahoo!, that this has occurred.
 
Telecom CEO Retail Chris Quin says 60,000 of the 450,000 Yahoo! Xtra customers have changed their password since last weekend but updated details on compromised accounts means the best way to protect customers is to cancel the current passwords of these additional 60,000 accounts.
 
“We’re taking this matter very seriously,” says Mr Quin, “and urge those whose passwords have been cancelled to create new passwords. However, it’s advisable for all others that have not changed their password, to do so immediately both on their computer but also on mobile devices and tablets. We continue to be sorry for any distress caused or inconvenience this has caused and reinforce that in today’s online world regular password changes are an important need.”
 
Telecom Yahoo! Xtra customers are encouraged to visit Telecom’s website, www.telecom.co.nz, as well as Yahoo! NZ’s, for updates regarding this issue.
 
ENDS

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