Yahoo Said to Be Targeted by Attack Similar to Google in China

Yahoo! Inc., owner of the second most used search engine in the U.S., was targeted by an attack in China that was similar to the one that affected Google Inc., according a person familiar with the matter.

Google said yesterday that at least 20 other companies were targeted in a series of “highly sophisticated” attacks last month. Yahoo, which said yesterday that it “stands aligned” with Google in condemning the attacks on users, was also affected, said the person, who declined to be identified because the information isn’t public.

Yahoo said in a statement today that it doesn’t disclose attacks on its computer systems. “Yahoo does not generally disclose that type of information, but we take security very seriously and we take appropriate action in the event of any kind of breach,” the company said.