2013 Yahoo breach hit all 3 billion accounts

Shannon Vavra
Oct 3

Featured

2013 Yahoo breach hit all 3 billion accounts

a cyclist rides past a Yahoo sign at the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

Yahoo's 2013 data breach affected all of its 3 billion user accounts — not just the 1 billion accounts as was initially disclosed in 2016, Verizon disclosed today.

Why it matters: Hacks are not always going to be clear-cut at first disclosure, a reminder to be cautious of first accounts of breaches.
The big picture: Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice charged two Russian spies and two hackers hired by Russians for the breach, marking this an important example of the U.S. government's willingness to hold foreign powers accountable for hacking.

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More details:

Information affected by the breach included usernames, passwords, and sometimes telephone numbers and dates of birth.
This was already the biggest hack in terms of number of users, WSJ reports, and this new disclosure just raises that ceiling further.
The company said it found the wider scope of the breach during its integration with Verizon.

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Dave Lawler
1 hr ago

Featured

Timeline of the Las Vegas attack

Police officers take cover near the scene of a shooting near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino. Photo: John Locher / AP

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo gave a step-by-step rundown Wednesday night of the response to Monday's shooting.

Key quote: "What we know is Steven Paddock is a man who spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo, and living a secret life much of which will never be fully understood... he meticulously planned the worst domestic attack in United States history."

Timeline ... words

10:05 PM PT: First shots fired by the suspect
10:12: Two officers arrive on 31st floor, say shooting coming from directly about them
10:15: Last shots fired by suspect (10 minutes after shooting began)
10:17: Two officers arrive on 32nd floor
10:18: Security officer says he's been shot, gives location of the room
10:26-10:30: Eight additional officers arrive on 32nd floor, begin to clear rooms because they don't hear additional gunfire and believe the suspect may have barricaded himself in.
10:55: Eight officers arrive in hallway near suspect's room
11:20: First room breached, officers notice the suspect is down (75 minutes after shooting began)
11:27: Second room breached, no other suspects spotted

Other takeaways:

Lombardo said he suspected Stephen Paddock likely had an accomplice or accomplices, but that was under investigation.
He said there was evidence Paddock planned to survive and escape.
He said Paddock began stockpiling weapons in October 2016, and they were investigating what was going on at that time in his life.

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Axios
57 mins ago

Featured

Three U.S. Special Forces troops killed in Niger ambush

A US green beret trains Malian soldiers in 2004. Photo: Ben Curtis / AP

Three U.S. Army Green Berets were killed and two more wounded on a routine patrol with troops they were helping to train in the West African country of Niger, per the NY Times. According to the Times:

The ambush occurred "near the border of Mali, where militants with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an affiliate of Al Qaeda, have conducted cross-border raids."
"The deaths mark the first American casualties in a mission in which United States Special Forces have provided training and security assistance to the Nigerien armed forces, including support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance."

Shannon Vavra
2 hrs ago

Featured

Las Vegas gunman's girlfriend makes first public statement

People pause at a memorial set up for victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas. Photo: John Locher / AP

Marilou Danley, the girlfriend of the Las Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, is now back in the U.S. and in a statement read by her attorney, she said Paddock "never said anything to me or took any action that I was aware of, that I understood in any way to be a warning that something horrible like this was going to happen."

Danley said Paddock bought her a ticket to see her family in the Philippines about two weeks ago, and wired her $100,000 to buy her family a home.
She added, "I was grateful, but honestly, I was worried that first, the unexpected trip home, and then the money, was a way of breaking up with me"

Shannon Vavra
3 hrs ago

Featured

Mueller probing Trump-Russia dossier

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Special Counsel Robers Mueller's team has taken over FBI inquiries into the dossier a British spy compiled on alleged links between Trump associates and Russia, Reuters reports. The unverified dossier raised the possibility Trump could have been vulnerable to Russian blackmail during the election.

Why it matters: It appears Mueller's extra muscle may be needed, as the Senate Intelligence Committee said earlier Wednesday it had "hit a wall" in assessing the veracity of the document. Chairman Richard Burr said they had trouble getting Christopher Steele, the dossier's author, to come before the committee to discuss the details.

FBI and Mueller comment

The FBI and a spokesman for Mueller declined to comment to Reuters.

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Stef W. Kight
5 hrs ago

Featured

Senators revive bipartisan criminal justice reform bill

Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin are (D-IL) re-introducing a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that never made it to the floor last year. It calls for lower minimum sentences for drug offenders, targets violent criminals and calls for a National Criminal Justice Commission to conduct a review of the criminal justice system.

Why it matters: The Senators hope that the bill can receive bipartisan support by reducing sentences for non-violent drug offenders, but still enforcing harsher sentences for violent criminals. "This bill strikes the right balance of improving public safety and ensuring fairness in the criminal justice system," Sen. Grassley said in the press release.

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Here are highlights from the bill:

Drug felons would have a reduced minimum mandatory sentence — 15 years instead of 20. This would be applied retroactively, after a court's review of the prisoner, as long as there is no past conviction of a violent felony.
Someone who has received "three strikes" and has been convicted of a drug felony would have a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years instead of a life sentence.
Anyone who was not an importer, exporter, high-level distributor or supplier, wholesaler, manufacturer, or any participant in conspiracy are eligible for less than the 10-year mandatory minimum. Even those with up to four points on their criminal record could qualify for less than the minimum sentence where there are non-violent crimes.
The bill raises the maximum sentence from 20 to 25 years for those who commit interstate domestic violence which results in permanent disfigurement or life-threatening injury. The maximum would be increased from 10 to 15 years when serious bodily injury occurs or when a dangerous weapon is used. If death results, there would be with a 10-year minimum sentence.
Those who have been convicted of using a firearm during a violent crime or drug crime and have previously been convicted of the same offense would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years instead of 15, which could be applied retroactively.
The bill requires the DoJ to assess all federal inmates' risks of recidivism and assign them to proper programs, including work and education programs, drug rehabilitation, job training, and faith-based programs.
It calls for the creation of a National Criminal Justice Commission made up of 16 members, and gives $14,000,000 over two years for a comprehensive review of the justice system.

Trump gives somber address with Las Vegas first responders

President Trump and First Lady Melania visited with first responders on Wednesday in Las Vegas, following the shooting on Sunday night.

"In the months ahead, we will all have to wrestle with the horror of what has unfolded this week," Trump said. "But we will struggle through it together. We will endure the pain together. And we will overcome together as Americans."

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More from the press conference:

"In the depths of horror we will always find hope in the men and women who risk their lives for ours."
"We pray for the recovery of the injured and those injured officers who so bravely threw themselves into danger when duty called."
"We struggle to explain to our children how such evil can exist. How there can be such cruelty and such suffering."
"The example of those whose final act was to sacrifice themselves for those they loved, should inspire all of us to show more love every day for the people who grace our lives."

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Shannon Vavra
5 hrs ago

Featured

Corker: Tillerson, generals "separate our country from chaos"

Chairman Bob Corker pauses before a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

Senator Bob Corker told reporters Wednesday he thinks "Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Mattis, and Chief of Staff Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos." Corker added that Tillerson is not being supported in the way that I would hope" and "is in an incredibly frustrating place."

The backdrop: Corker's comments followed a report that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a moron — which the State Department has since refuted — and considered resigning.

Go deeper: Between the lines on Tillerson

Shane Savitsky
6 hrs ago

Featured

Britain's Conservative Party had a bad few days

Theresa May coughs during her keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference. Photo: Rui Vieira / AP

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May endured what multiple international outlets branded a "nightmare" during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party's annual conference — as she talked through a prankster, a crumbling background set, and a persistent cough.

Why it matters: May's "British dream" speech was a huge moment for her to project strength and control to her party after her Tories disastrously lost their majority in June's snap general election. But the distractions stole the headlines, putting her already tenuous position as prime minister in further jeopardy and capping off a few days of terrible press for her party.

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May's disastrous speech

May was handed a P45 form, the British equivalent of a pink slip, by a comedian in the audience, who managed to get just feet away from her before being detained by security. The comedian said, "Boris asked me to give you this," referencing Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's oft-rumored desire to become prime minister.
The prime minister lost her voice and began coughing during her speech, prompting Chancellor Philip Hammond to run on stage and hand her a cough drop. She later joked about the moment on Twitter.
And there was an embarrassing background malfunction as the slogan "Building a Country That Works for Everyone" behind May started losing letters.

Boris Johnson's Libya comment

The conference was Boris Johnson's moment to shine and cement himself as a formidable challenger to May for the party's leadership.
Instead, it ended with calls for May to fire him as foreign secretary after he said that a Libyan city only needs to "clear the dead bodies away" before it can become a resort destination, per The Guardian:

"There's a group of UK business people, wonderful guys who want to invest in Sirte, on the coast, near where Gaddafi was actually captured and executed as some of you may have seen. And they literally have a brilliant vision to turn Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, to turn it into the next Dubai. The only thing they've got to do is clear the dead bodies away and then they'll be there."

Jacob Rees-Mogg takes aim

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a backbencher from the right wing of the Tories, is also seen as a potential challenger to May's position.
He took aim at her leadership and the Conservative Party as a whole by delivering a scathing rebuke of the conference, per The Express:

"It's now become like an American presidential convention where you're expected to just turn up and cheer the great and the good. It isn't even American but Kim Jong-un style – if you don't clap for long enough you'll get in real trouble."

Rees-Mogg under fire of his own

Rees-Mogg's arch-conservative views, especially on abortion, have garnered extreme controversy in the U.K., leading to his speech at a pro-Brexit event being disrupted by protestors who labeled him "disgusting" and "despicable."
He called the disruption a "glorious thing" and was later described by The Telegraph as "chatting to [the protestor] as calmly as if they were standing in a queue at the Post Office."

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Erica Pandey
6 hrs ago

Featured

Trump: I have "total confidence" in Tillerson

"I was very honored by [Rex Tillerson's] comments," President Trump said, delivering remarks at a Las Vegas hospital. "It was fake news. It was a totally phony story ... It was made up by NBC ... [I have] total confidence in Rex."

Context: Tillerson said "I have never considered leaving this post" earlier today, after an NBC report said the Secretary of State called Trump a "moron" and contemplated resigning over the summer.

Jonathan Swan
7 hrs ago

Featured

Between the lines on Tillerson

Illustration: Sam Jayne / Axios

After NBC News reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had to be talked out of resigning and had called President Trump a "moron," the administration pushback has been superficially unified: Trump, Tillerson, and Vice President Mike Pence all described the story as false. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders followed up by telling reporters that Tillerson still enjoyed the confidence of the president.

The intrigue: In fact, there's plenty to see beneath the surface, and even the official denials of the NBC story reveal the deep ruptures between the secretary of state and the administration he serves. I'm not hearing any signals that Tillerson's on his way out — but that may be largely because this administration doesn't need any more turnover right now.

Behind the scenes ... words

Tillerson-Trump relationship: In a press conference this morning, Tillerson said Pence had never had to persuade him to remain as secretary of state because he'd never considered resigning from the post. Tillerson, however, declined an opportunity to deny the report that he called the president a "moron."
Tillerson-Haley relationship: Tillerson praised Nikki Haley in his press conference this morning, but sources with direct knowledge tell me his relationship with UN ambassador is poisonous. We saw that in open display, today, with an extraordinary quote in the NBC story from Tillerson's spokesman, RC Hammond:
- NBC reported: "Hammond said he knew of only one time when the two men discussed topics other than policy: A meeting where Pence asked Tillerson if he thought Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was helpful to the administration, or if he was worried about the role she was playing."
- Hammond — like Tillerson's chief of staff, Margaret Peterlin — has accumulated abundant enemies inside both the State Department and the White House, and his quote about Haley infuriated senior administration officials.
- By late morning, Hammond had tweeted out a correction that doubled as an apology: "Regarding the NBC News report: I spoke out of line about conversations I wasn't privy to. I should've given more complete info or none at all regarding the positive role Amb. Haley plays in the Admin."
- Pence's deputy chief of staff, Jarrod Agen, put out his own statement: "Any assertion that the Vice President questioned Ambassador Nikki Haley's value to the Trump Administration is also categorically false. The Vice President has known Ambassador Nikki Haley for many years and holds her in the highest personal and professional regard. The Vice President appreciates her strong contribution and service to the administration at the United Nations."

What's next: While there's plenty of speculation that Tillerson will resign or be fired by Trump, I've heard nothing from any senior officials to corroborate those rumors. A senior administration official who is close to Trump said this about Tillerson this morning: "I think his saving grace may be that Mattis and Kelly have his back and there's not a great desire for further shuffling in the cabinet at this time."

But the senior official added: "Not denying he called the President of the United States a moron ends any chance of him being a credible representative of the administration around the world."

Update: State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said during Wednesday's press briefing that, despite Tillerson's non-denial about the "moron" remark, he did not say it. "The secretary does not use that kind of language... about the President of the United States. The secretary does not use that kind of language about anyone," she said.

Flashback: Read Axios' story from a few weeks ago about how, in just nine months, the secretary of state has managed to alienate nearly every constituency that matters.

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David McCabe
8 hrs ago

Featured

Facebook and Twitter will testify in Russian election meddling probe

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Noah Berger / AP

Facebook and Twitter confirmed they will answer questions at a November hearing that's part of a Senate committee's investigation into Russian election meddling. Alphabet has also been invited to the hearing that's part of a larger Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into Russian election inference but haven't confirmed their attendance.

Why it matters: Facebook staffers, specifically, have rarely testified on Capitol Hill despite its ascendance as one of the most valuable technology companies in the world. And many tech companies are still largely represented by trade groups in Washington. But tech is under unprecedented pressure on several fronts, and the big companies want to be seen as taking concerns seriously.

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What they're not saying: Whether it will be Mark Zuckerberg in the hot seat for Facebook. Several top Facebook employees, like security executive Alex Stamos and policy chief Elliot Schrage, have been part of the public response to concerns about Russia, Facebook, and the 2016 presidential race. Twitter has also declined to say who will testify.

Go deeper: Senate Intelligence Committee leaders said there's still a long way to go in this investigation, per Axios' Alayna Treene.

This post has been updated to reflect Twitter's planned participation in the hearing.

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