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Yahoo's Mayer 'grateful' to FBI, DOJ for nabbing hackers

The indictments might let the beleaguered CEO breathe a small sigh of relief.

Richard Nieva Former senior reporter
Richard Nieva was a senior reporter for CNET News, focusing on Google and Yahoo. He previously worked for PandoDaily and Fortune Magazine, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, on CNNMoney.com and on CJR.org.
Richard Nieva
2 min read
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Marissa Mayer says she's 'grateful' to the FBI and Justice Department for their efforts.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

If you're a Yahoo user, you might be happy to hear the FBI and Department of Justice got the Russian hackers responsible for a massive cyberattack in 2014. But there's another person who's showing a measure of gratitude as well: Marissa Mayer.

Yahoo's CEO tweeted her appreciation on Wednesday.

"Very grateful to the FBI & DOJ for bringing to justice the Russian officials & hackers who led the attack on Yahoo," Mayer wrote.

To recap: The Justice Department said Wednesday it charged four hackers responsible for a data breach at Yahoo that compromised 500 million user accounts in 2014. The company disclosed the attack, the second-largest online breach ever, in September. Two of the alleged hackers were Russian spies under the Federal Security Service, the country's equivalent of the FBI in US, while the other two were identified as hired criminals.

Chris Madsen, Yahoo's assistant general counsel, had the same sentiment as Mayer.

"We appreciate the FBI's diligent investigative work and the DOJ's decisive action to bring to justice those responsible for the crimes against Yahoo and its users," he wrote in a blog post. "We're committed to keeping our users and our platforms secure and will continue to engage with law enforcement to combat cybercrime."

For Mayer, the indictments could let her breathe a sigh of relief during what's been a tumultuous tenure as Yahoo's leader. Verizon is set to acquire Yahoo's internet and ad tech business, which includes iconic properties like Yahoo Mail, search and fantasy sports. After the deal goes through, Mayer is stepping down as CEO of what's left after the buyout -- essentially an investment company called Altaba with lucrative Asian assets. She'll get $23 million as part of her severance package.

Mayer is expected to remain with Yahoo's internet business after it's integrated with Verizon, but it's unclear what her role will be.

When she joined the company in 2012, she was seen as a potential savior for the troubled internet pioneer. A former Google executive, she helped bring the company into the mobile era by refreshing all of Yahoo's services for phones and tablets. But Mayer never figured out how to make much money off the company's properties.

Mayer also said earlier this month she'll forgo her 2017 bonus because the hack -- as well as another even bigger one in 2013 that affected a billion user accounts -- occurred under her leadership.

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