Yahoo Confirms Major Breach — and It Could Be the Largest Hack of All Time
Yahoo on Thursday revealed a massive data breach of its services.
Yahoo “has confirmed that a copy of certain user account information was stolen from the company’s network in late 2014 by what it believes is a state-sponsored actor,” the company posted on its investor relations page. The stolen data include names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birthdays, hashed passwords, and some “encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.” Yahoo says it believes no payment card or bank account information was stolen.
Yahoo said it believes that at least 500 million user account credentials were stolen, which would make it the biggest breach of all time — bigger than the Myspace breach of 360 million user accounts and 427 million passwords. The breach has turned out to be larger than the 200 million accounts previously expected. Recode’s Kara Swisher reported on Thursday that the breach could have implications for the $4.8 billion sale of Yahoo to Verizon, and that some shareholders may fear that it could change the price of the transaction. [Source: Business Insider]
Cargo Thefts Jump in LA Area
In recent months, the FreightWatch International Supply Chain Intelligence Center has been tracking an increase in cargo theft activity in the Greater Los Angeles Area proportionately higher than any other area of the United States.
The SCIC identified 10 incident variables recording significantly higher values in the LA area. For example, the theft rates of electronics and clothing and shoes were almost double the national average, and the occurrence of reported fictitious pickups was almost three times greater than seen across the entire United States.
These and other factors have yielded an average loss value 32 percent higher than those recorded nationally. Law Enforcement and private sector security continue to investigate this growing threat; however, drivers traveling through this area should be extra vigilant and immediately report any suspicious observations to the police and their dispatch.
FreightWatch International recommends that all drivers traveling in the LA area be educated on the threat posed by thieves and be briefed on best practices to avoid an incident. Layered security programs, including covert GPS tracking and active monitoring, are essential to ensure that proper protocol is being followed and can be invaluable during the recovery process should a theft occur. Additionally, if stops in this area are unavoidable, it is recommended that drivers back their trailer against a solid structure to impede tampering with seals or trailer doors. [Source: FreightWatch]
Public Shaming: Stores Posting Photos of Alleged Shoplifters
There is no mistaking the message: Thieves are not welcome in Big Bee convenience stores. Over the last several months the chain has taken to posting photos of customers allegedly captured shoplifting. The images are posted all over three corporately-run stores across Hamilton with brief summaries of the alleged infractions and a warning that the person is not welcome.
“It’s more of a community message,” says Ziad Reda, manager of the corporate stores. He added they want the public to know what these people look like. This type of public shaming may be a good loss prevention strategy, but a legal expert says it could open the stores to the possibility of lawsuits from those who believe they’ve been falsely identified. Hamilton criminal lawyer Asgar Manek said the stores are private property, so the owners are not breaking any laws. But they may be exposing themselves to potential defamation suits.
However, Manek points out that defamation lawyers are expensive and not covered by legal aid. “How many people shoplifting have money to hire a defamation lawyer?” he said. Manek agreed the photos could act as a deterrent for other would-be shoplifters and said that even if a thief is charged, it’s rare to for them to get any jail time.
Where the stores may be opening themselves to possible problems is on the issue of identification. Manek noted that identification is often an issue in criminal robbery cases. Cameras aren’t always clear, people can look different over time and people’s memories are unreliable. Manek says he always takes cases where he is defending an accused robber to trial, because no matter how clear-cut it may appear, a lawyer can often raise doubt about identity. [Source: The Hamilton Spectator]
Men Scammed $10K from Walmart
Three Michigan men scammed the Somerset Wal-Mart out of more than $10,000 Wednesday morning as part of a series of thefts, police said. State police in Somerset charged Brandon Monte Walker, 20, Michael Jonathan Toles, 19, and Andre Monteek Edwards-Morgan, 19, all of Flint, Michigan, with the crime. At about 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to an affidavit of probable cause, Walker, Toles, Edwards-Morgan and a fourth unidentified man allegedly used fraudulent CitiBank cash cards to purchase merchandise including 21 prepaid gift cards, each worth $500, and two ski masks. The total value of the merchandise was more than $10,000.
The men then left the store in a silver Chevrolet Impala with Michigan license plates, police said.
That same afternoon, the four men attempted to commit a similar crime at the Wal-Mart in Altoona, according to the affidavit. Allegheny Township, Blair County, police took Walker, Toles and Edwards-Morgan into custody, but the fourth man left before police could confront him.
The four men also match descriptions of men who were seen at Walmart locations in Ebensburg and Richland Township, police said. There was no indication that they had committed crimes at those locations. As of Monday afternoon, online records indicated that none of the men faced charges in Cambria County, where the Ebensburg and Richland Township Walmarts are located. For the Somerset incident, the men face charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, retail theft, organized retail theft and four conspiracy counts. Each is a third-degree felony.
They also face various third-degree felony charges in Blair County, online records indicate.
Walker, Toles and Edwards-Morgan were arraigned in Blair County Thursday before District Judge Todd Kelly of Altoona and in Somerset County Friday before District Judge Kenneth W. Johnson of Somerset. They remained in prison after being unable to post bail, but online court documents were unclear whether the three men were imprisoned in Blair County or Somerset County. [Source: The Tribune Democrat]
Theft Becomes Robbery after Female Employee Is Assaulted
A thief who took a cash register from a Clifton, New Jersey, CVS took off after pushing a female employee who tried to stop him, police said. The thief pried open the register of the Allwood Road store around 7:20 p.m. Friday during business hours, Police Detective Lt. Robert Bracken told Daily Voice. The 30-something Hispanic man “was confronted by a female employee whom he then assaulted by pushing her up against a wall,” Bracken said. The employee wasn’t injured, he said. Bracken asked that anyone with information that could help the investigation call Clifton PD. [Source: The Daily Voice]