Who
is the Victim of the Largest Data Hack in History?
Yahoo,
that’s Who.
If you have a Yahoo account, it may not be
secure and you should change your password as
soon as you finish reading this. The tech company has revealed that computer hackers managed to
break through its security system to
steal information belonging to its users. More than one billion Yahoo accounts
were involved, making this the biggest electronic data theft ever.
In the digital
age, hackers use their skills to attack websites,
computers, and networks. They may do so for any number of reasons─they
may want to make financial profits, to gain advantages over business
competitors, or to cause embarrassment to individuals or governments.
Successful hackers gain access to private information that is meant to be
protected. In the Yahoo attack, the hackers stole users’ names, dates of birth,
phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and passwords. They also got the personal
security questions that users can rely on to
access their accounts when they forget their passwords, along with the correct
answers. Yahoo claims that no bank account or credit card information was
stolen, and the identity of the hackers remains unknown.
Following this huge data theft, Yahoo users
are being asked to choose new passwords along with new security questions and
answers. For some users, however, the process may be somewhat more complicated
and time-consuming. If
they have used their Yahoo password to protect other online accounts, they will
have to change the security settings on
those accounts, too.
Although the shocking breakdown of Yahoo’s
security was only recently made public,
the hack attack actually took place four years ago. In any case, the announcement
of the theft of user data couldn’t come at a worse time for Yahoo. The
company’s executives have been negotiating the sale of Yahoo to another
company, Verizon, for a sum
approaching five billion dollars. But this latest hack strikes a
serious blow against the public’s confidence in
Yahoo’s ability to protect their sensitive personal data. As a result, Yahoo
might appear to be a less valuable company in the eyes of Verizon’s executives.
A level of uncertainty now
surrounds what will happen following the announcement. It is likely that
Verizon will offer a much lower price to take over
Yahoo’s operations, or may decide not to go through with the deal at all.
Either situation would be bad news for the investors who
own shares in Yahoo and are eagerly anticipating a jump in the
company’s value.
Reading Comprehension
( ) 1. According to
the passage, who
will be most affected by the security failure at Yahoo?
(A) Governments. (B) Hackers.
(C) Investors who own shares in Yahoo. (D) Yahoo’s business competitors.
( ) 2. According to
the passage, how many Yahoo user accounts were involved?
(A) Almost five billion.
(B) More than one billion.
(C) Less than one billion.
(D) The number remains unknown.
( ) 3. According to
the passage, in what year did the Yahoo hack attack
actually take place?
(A) 2000. (B) 2006. (C) 2013.
(D) 2017.
( ) 4. It could be
inferred from the passage that ________.
(A) the
public’s confidence in Yahoo’s ability to protect their personal data has been
shaken
(B) the public still has full confidence in Yahoo’s
ability to protect their personal data
(C) the public think Verizon should acquire Yahoo for higher
prices
(D) the hackers behind the hack attack probably
work for Verizon
( ) 5. What did Yahoo
claim that hackers not steal when they broke through its security firewall?
(A) Users’ bank
account information.
(B) Users’ birth dates.
(C) Users’ passwords.
(D) Users’ phone numbers.
Vocabulary and Phrases
1.
hack [h8k] vi.
非法侵入(計算機系統)
hacker [`h8k1] n. [C] 駭客
The computer hacker, who
had illegally hacked into the
government’s computer system, received a ten-year prison
sentence.
2.
account [1`kAUnt] n. [C] 帳戶，帳號
It only takes a few
minutes to create a new email account.
3.
password [`p8s&w3d] n. [C] (電腦)密碼
You need to give your password to get access to the computer system.
4.
theft [TEft] n. [C] 偷竊，偷
I felt upset about staying home alone because
a number of thefts were reported in
the neighborhood.
5.
digital
[`dIdZItL] adj. 數位的
Digital
cameras have become very popular because the pictures can be edited.
6.
website
[`wEb&saIt] n. [C] (電腦)網站
Please
check the official website for more information
about this new product.
7.
rely on [rI`laI An] phr.
信賴…，信任…
My mother always provides me useful advice so that
I can rely on her.
8. time-consuming [`taImk1n&sjumI9] adj. 費時的
I
am not a good housekeeper. As
for me, keeping the house clean is a very time-consuming
job.
9. setting [`sEtI9] n. [C] 設定
After being tested at different settings, the performance of the
heating system is beyond question.
10. breakdown [`brek&dAUn] n. [C]
(系統、關係)失敗
Due to a breakdown in communications, we can’t make phone calls and send
text messages.
11. make public [mek `p^blIk] phr. 公開，公諸於世
The
name and the pictures of the serial killer have been made public. The police hope that they could arrest him as soon as
possible.
12. confidence [`kAnf1d1ns] n.
[U] 信心，信任
We should have complete confidence in our chairman.
13. uncertainty [^n`s3tNtI] n. [U] 不確定
There is a great deal of uncertainty about
Zoe’s plan to study
abroad. She isn’t sure if the
university she applied to will accept her.
14. take over [tek `ov2] phr. 接收，接管
Hank is expected to take over his father’s toy factory when
his father retires.
15. investor [In`vEst2] n. [C] 投資者
Unable to resist
the temptation of making more money, the investor
decided to make a large investment in the futures
market.
16. eagerly [`ig2lI] adv. 渴望地，熱切地
David eagerly wanted to know everything about
my adventure story. He asked me to share every detail of it with him.
17. anticipate [8n`tIs1&pet] vt. 期盼
I was
disappointed at this new action-packed movie because it wasn’t as good as I had
anticipated it to be.
Words for
Recognition
1. Yahoo 雅虎公司
2. security system [sI`kj5r1tI `sIst1m] 保全系統
3. Verizon 威訊通訊
4. strike a blow against sth 損害某種信念或原則
Translation
誰是數據竊盜史上最大的受害者？雅虎是也。
若你是雅虎的用戶，你的帳號可能並不安全，讀完這篇文章，最好盡快更換你的密碼。這家科技公司透露，網路駭客已破壞其安全系統並竊取用戶個人資料，共有超過10億個雅虎帳號受害，使之成為史上最大宗的電子數據竊取案。
在數位時代，駭客運用技術攻擊網站、電腦和網路。他們可能出於各式各樣的目的─想要得到金錢利益、為了打倒商業競爭對手或是想讓特定人士或政府機構難堪等。厲害的駭客能取得原本受到保護的私人資料。在雅虎遭駭事件中，用戶的姓名、生日、電話、電子郵件地址與密碼皆遭到竊取。駭客還盜走忘記密碼時用戶所仰賴的安全問題與答案。雅虎聲稱沒有銀行帳戶與信用卡資料遭到盜用，並表示駭客身份仍然不明。
在這宗龐大資料竊盜事件發生後，雅虎用戶被要求重新設定密碼與安全性問答。然而對某些用戶而言，整個過程在某種程度上可能更為複雜且耗時。若用戶曾使用雅虎密碼保護其他的網站帳戶，除了雅虎帳戶外，他們還需一併更改那些帳戶的安全設定。
儘管這起驚人的雅虎資安崩壞事件最近才公諸於世，實際上事件發生的時間點卻是在四年前。無論如何，在現在這個時間點公告用戶資料遭竊，對雅虎而言可說是糟到不能再糟了，因為雅虎的決策高層已跟另一家公司—威訊通訊(Verizon)談出售談了好一陣子，原本預計以總價近50億美元售出。而如今這起駭客事件嚴重打擊大眾的信心，質疑雅虎是否有能力保護客戶個人的敏感資料。因此，在威訊通訊高層的眼中，雅虎的價值可能不如原先那麼高了。在資安事件公布之後，後續進展被一定程度的不確定性給籠罩著。威訊通訊可能用比原先低很多的價格來收購雅虎的經營權，也可能乾脆決定放棄這項交易。不論上述何種情況，對持有雅虎股份、迫切期待股價上漲的投資者來說，都將是個壞消息。
閱讀測驗解答：1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. A
