The latest Yahoo security breach is embarrassing but won't affect the acquisition

TIME on the latest Yahoo Hack:

Imagine you’re about to buy a restaurant. It’s a place that was hugely popular, but has since lost its luster. Your plan is to turn it around. Before you can close the deal, the business reveals not one, but two incidents that jeopardized its patrons’ safety. The inspectors show up, demanding more information. Meanwhile, news of the problem spreads like wildfire, which will make your renovation efforts even more challenging.

That gives you an idea of the position Verizon executives find themselves in after Yahoo disclosed its second massive security breach in two months. The first affected 500 million accounts, then the largest corporate hack in history. The breach Yahoo announced this week involved 1 billion accounts. The incidents, while separate hacks, both took place two or three years ago yet were only disclosed recently.

I like the analogy being used here, it’s spot on. You can’t help but wonder whether Verizon will balk on the deal and walk away in the end leaving Yahoo high-and-dry. That being said, I think it’s pretty clear that Verizon does in fact want Yahoo and all of the web properties (and ad tech) that come along with it, even despite the company’s ineptitude regarding security. I mean, if they didn’t walk after the original 500 million account breach went public, what’s another 1 billion accounts?

(via. TIME)