Yahoo breach: Atlanta tech expert's advice

ATLANTA - It is described as the largest breach yet, but an Atlanta technology expert said that the Yahoo data hack likely will go beyond email.

"If you used your Yahoo account, if that's the key for your Facebook account or your LinkedIn, if it's tied together, you need to change those passwords too," explained David Barton, managing director for UHY Advisors, a professional services firm in Atlanta.

Yahoo announced Thursday that hackers stole a copy of the company's user account information that may include their names, email addresses, birth dates and some people's security questions.  The email provider estimates that more than 500 million users were impacted.

Barton said a breach of this size will likely draw other hackers who try to benefit.

If you have a Yahoo email account, Barton suggests:

• Change your password
• Change your security questions
• Beware of suspicious emails that offer password reset assistance or ask for personal information
• Change the passwords for any online accounts that have passwords similar to your Yahoo password

"Be wary of emails or phone calls that come from Yahoo because that could be a phishing attempt rather than Yahoo trying to be helpful," said Barton.

Yahoo has encouraged customers to sign up for "Yahoo Account Key," a service that does away with account passwords altogether by instead sending users an alert on their phone to sign in instead.

Barton said many email providers offer similar services.

"So, even though they may have your password, if they don't have your phone as well then they still can't get into your account, which is always a good thing," he explained.