BT dumps Yahoo! email after hacking claims

BT has dumped Yahoo! as email provider to its six million broadband customers following months of customer complaints over hacking.

It is to shift all customers to a new system from next month after a decade on Yahoo!.
BT customers who use the Yahoo! service have complained since February that hackers are repeatedly taking control of accounts and using them to pump out spam emails.
The Telegraph reported in March that an investigation and been launched by the two companies but customers have continued to complain of security breaches on BT’s online forums.
On Thursday BT announced it would begin moving accounts away from Yahoo! within weeks, noting that the new system will “feature in-built anti-virus and anti-spam solutions”.

“We will be switching customers’ email over to BT Mail, which will include the features and functions they expect from a modern email service,” said Nick Wong, director of online for BT’s consumer division.“We will be keeping our customers fully informed about what changes to expect and when they will be able to enjoy the new services.”
All email folders will be moved over and customers will keep the same address, although they may be prompted to change their password, BT said.
As well as losing six million email accounts at a stroke, Yahoo! will lose a chunk of traffic to its homepage, as the end of its partnership with BT will also mean the closure of the BT Yahoo! portal website. It was automatically set as the home page for BT broadband subscribers.
It will come as a blow to Yahoo! chief executive Marissa Mayer, who has been battling to restore the company’s reputation for technological competence since taking over last year. She is also tasked with reversing a long-term decline in traffic to Yahoo!’s email service and homepage, which account for most of its advertising business.
The hacking problems that affected BT customers appeared to be repeated around the world. Subscribers to Telecom NZ, which has a similar outsourced email deal, reported similar security breaches. Internet security experts said criminals had used a an international network of hijacked computers to mount the attacks on Yahoo!.
The new email system for BT broadband subscribers will be branded BT Mail and run by Critical Path, a privately-held specialist email provider based in California.
BT will also replace the BT Yahoo! homepage with a redesigned BT.com website. It will feature breaking news and be used to showcase BT Sport, the company’s new television venture.
BSkyB, its biggest rival, recently moved its broadband customers on to Yahoo! email.