Yahoo Xtra customers' emails hacked

  • Breaking
  • 10/02/2013

Users with Yahoo Xtra email accounts are being urged to change their passwords after “savvy” spammers hijacked them over the weekend.

It is not yet known how security was breached, resulting in emails being sent to everyone on the users’ contact lists asking them to click on a link.

A short time ago a message was posted to Telecom NZ’s twitter account encouraging users to change their email password.

“We are aware some customers may be receiving unsolicited emails,” Telecom said in a statement posted to its website yesterday.

“If you have received any of these emails, we recommend that you delete these without opening them and under no circumstances should you reply to these emails with any log on, password or personal information.”

Yahoo – who provides Telecom’s email service - has confirmed the issue is resolved, however some customers “may still receive a bounce-back reply from emails sent prior to this resolution”, Telecom says.

Affected customers should reset their email password, which can be done online.

Telecom suspects the hijacking was a suspected “phishing” attempt – a tactic used by scammers to obtain confidential information such as passwords, usernames or even credit card details.

The company was unable to confirm how many customers had been affected.

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source: newshub archive