Yahoo confirms 500 million accounts hacked by 'state-sponsored actor'

Yahoo confirmed Thursday that at least 500 million user accounts were compromised in a massive data breach in late 2014. The hack is suspected to be the work of a "state-sponsored actor," Yahoo said in a statement.

Information including names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, select passwords, and some security questions and answers may have been stolen, though the company said bank account information and payment card information was likely not accessed.

Yahoo said it will be notifying users who may have been affected and has advised users who have not updated their passwords since 2014 to do so as soon as possible. Evidence suggests the hacker is no longer in Yahoo's network, and the internet company says it has "taken steps" to improve security.

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Yahoo is in the midst of being bought by Verizon for $4.83 billion; it is not yet clear how the breach could affect the deal.