After breach, eBay asks users to change password

E-commerce site eBay is asking users to change their password after a cyberattack compromised a database containing encrypted passwords.

The company said there is no evidence of any unauthorized activity and no evidence any financial or credit card information was stolen.

EBay said its investigation is active and it can’t comment on the specific number of accounts affected, but said the number could be large, so it is asking all users to change their passwords. EBay had 145 million active users at the end of the first quarter.

GM adds Chevrolet Aveo to list of recalled vehicles

General Motors has added yet another recall to its growing list.

The recall of 218,000 Chevrolet Aveo subcompact cars is the company’s 29th this year, bringing the total number of recalled GM vehicles in the U.S. to around 13.8 million. That breaks GM’s previous annual record of 10.75 million set in calendar year 2004.

The new recall, posted Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, covers Aveos from the 2004 through 2008 model years. The daytime running light module in the dashboard center stack can overheat, melt and catch fire. GM is aware of an unspecified number of fires due to the problem, but the company says it does not know of any injuries or deaths.

Target’s earnings declined 16 percent in first quarter

Target cut its annual profit outlook Wednesday and said its first-quarter earnings fell 16 percent as it took another hit from a massive customer data breach and a troubled expansion in Canada.

The third-largest U.S. retailer, based in Minneapolis, also issued a second-quarter profit projection below analysts’ expectations.

Target also said it doesn’t expect six straight quarters of traffic declines to reverse this year in what analysts say is its most tumultuous time ever.

U.S. stock indexes recover losses from previous day

Major U.S. stock indexes mounted a solid comeback Wednesday, recovering their losses from Tuesday and finishing on track for a weekly gain.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 158.75 points, or nearly 1 percent, to end at 16,533.06.

It was the Dow’s biggest gain in five weeks.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 15.20 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 1,888.03.

The Nasdaq composite index added 34.65 points, or 0.9 percent, to finish at 4,131.54.

– From news service reports