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Former Yahoo engineer pleads guilty of hacking into accounts of 6,000 women

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A software engineer at Yahoo stole sexual videos and images from thousands of young women’s accounts while working at the company.

Reyes Daniel Ruiz, who is no longer employed by Yahoo, pleaded guilty on Monday to using his work access to Yahoo’s systems to target the women.

The 34-year-old from Tracy, California, accessed 6,000 Yahoo accounts including those of personal friends and work colleagues, US prosecutors said.

READ ALSO: British police set to force Facebook, WhatsApp to share users’ encrypted messages, reports say

He used his access to their credentials to then attempt to access their iCloud, Facebook, Gmail, and DropBox accounts to search for additional material.

When Yahoo discovered Ruiz’s activity he destroyed the computer and hard drive he had used to store the material he had stolen, according to the US Attorney’s office in the Northern District of California.

He pleaded guilty to one count of computer intrusion and faces five years in prison when he is sentenced on 3 February.

Ruiz’s abuse of his internal access to users’ accounts is the latest in a long line of serious security failings at Yahoo.

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