Personal data of 533 million Facebook users leaks online

[midian182]

What just happened? The personal information of 533 million Facebook users has been published on a low level hacking forum. The sensitive data comes from people in 106 countries, including 32 million US residents.

Security researcher Alon Gal highlighted the leak, the result of a Facebook vulnerability patched in 2019. The data went up for sale via a dark web cybercrime forum back in January, when interested buyers could look up the information in the database using a Telegram bot. Now, the entire trove has been made freely available.

Details include:

Phone number, Facebook ID, Full name, Location, Past Location, Birthdate, (Sometimes) Email Address, Account Creation Date, Relationship Status, Bio.

Bad actors will certainly use the information for social engineering, scamming, hacking and marketing.

— Alon Gal (Under the Breach) (@UnderTheBreach) April 3, 2021

"The exposed data includes personal information of over 533 million Facebook users from 106 countries, including over 32 million records on users in the US, 11 million on users in the UK, and 6 million on users in India," writes Insider. "It includes their phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, bios, and — in some cases — email addresses."

Insider verified some data by matching Facebook users' phone numbers with the IDs listed in the data set. It also verified records by testing email addresses in FB's password reset feature, which can partially reveal a user's phone number. While the data only goes up to 2019, many people keep the same phone number for years.

But for spam based on using phone number alone, it's gold. Not just SMS, there are heaps of services that just require a phone number these days and now there's hundreds of millions of them conveniently categorised by country with nice mail merge fields like name and gender.

— Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) April 3, 2021

Have I Been Pwned creator Troy Hunt said he found around 2.5 million unique email addresses in the data set. He says the most appealing element to scammers and hackers is the phone numbers, which can be used for everything from SMS spam to signing up for services. Make sure to check out Hunt's page to discover if your information was part of the leak.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/89176-personal-data-533-million-facebook-users-leaks-online.html

 

[envirovore]

1990's: never use your real name, address, or any identifying information on a forward facing site. In fact, unless you have to order and ship something, don't use your real information when signing up for a site at all.

2000's after facebook: here's all my personal info! Take it take it take it! Look, I'm not even at home right now for a week, go steal my physical stuff as well!

No sympathy for anyone involved in this. You support evil by even using the site.

 

[ExReey]

No sympathy for anyone involved in this. You support evil by even using the site.

Thanks.
You forget it's not that easy for everyone to not use Facebook. In my country, some schools/universities/sport clubs/.. share info like rosters and school work using facebook. So you're more or less required to have a facebook account. And even if you don't share anything personal (like me) you do have to give your phone number.

 

[hahahanoobs]

8 data breaches on my old main email account.
Ouch!

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I make it a habit on Facebook never to use my personal information.

I don’t even use my real drivers license when they demand an identity check.

Now they have a new thing with a force you to make a video clip of your face similar to the security feature on iPhone using face ID.

The downside about social media-including YouTube-is that you are always going to be giving away some form of personal information whether it’s your location or whether it’s your activities.

Facebook doesn’t pay me money to give them such information but YouTube does. Therefore Facebook gets as much fakery as possible while YouTube gets my realtime data.

I treat all social media‘s as if they are about to get hacked and any information I give them is about to get leaked. Therefore my financial information and my family information are two things I will never give them.

Videos of my cars, videos of my home upgrades and installations or videos of me going to the gun range or piloting are things I really don’t care about them knowing so if Facebook has access to that then so be it.

But if I go on vacation, especially internationally, I’m very careful about whether or not people know when I’m leaving or who I am leaving to guard my property.

Some people take it as an opportunity to break in your house when they know that you’re on vacation but it might case you have no idea whether or not if you break into my house someone else, house sitting, might introduce you to my AR.

 

[Alfatawi Mendel]

I stopped using Samsung phones when they made it impossible to uninstall Facebook.
It looks like it was designed to bring out the worst in humanity...which it often does.

 

[envirovore]

Thanks.
You forget it's not that easy for everyone to not use Facebook. In my country, some schools/universities/sport clubs/.. share info like rosters and school work using facebook. So you're more or less required to have a facebook account. And even if you don't share anything personal (like me) you do have to give your phone number.

Okay, some sympathy for those that have to be sucked into that crap platform because of situations like this where event organizers are just too lazy to develop and update their own pages, or send out email notifications about things instead of forcing their members into some parasitic platform just because it's easier on them.

 

[Watzupken]

The moment you start using Facebook, it’s already a data breach in my opinion. Facebook seems harmless, but is pulling lots of data from what people share.

 

[Nobina]

People see FB as a platform to contact their friends and relatives, they are not thinking or caring beyond that. As long as that is true nothing will change.

 

[BadThad]

FB is little more than a social engineering experiment for their *****ic, communistic leader. They have manipulated and duped millions of people!

 

[QuantumPhysics]

FB is little more than a social engineering experiment for their *****ic, communistic leader. They have manipulated and duped millions of people!

The people themselves volunteered to be part of it. Why didn't they abstain?

 

[duckofdeath]

I stopped using Samsung phones when they made it impossible to uninstall Facebook.
It looks like it was designed to bring out the worst in humanity...which it often does.

That's nonsense. Disabling all Zuckerberg apps takes 30 seconds. If you want to delete all traces of them it takes a few minutes more, using a USB cable. No root just ADB.

 

[Thretosix]

This always makes me laugh. I never fill out the "about me" info. I never post anything personal. People can find their own cat groups, they don't need mine to find memes. I often scratch my head over how much personal information people freely give as if to glorify themselves in some way as if others actually care. There's people I know in real life just to keep contact with. These days you almost need a Facebook account for some things. Just don't go posting everything you do, places you go, expose people's address' and birthdays. That's what people are going to use to profile you. People need to learn to be smarter about what they share about themselves.

 

[wiyosaya]

FB is little more than a social engineering experiment for their *****ic, communistic leader. They have manipulated and duped millions of people!

I think totalitarian better describes him.

 

[terzaerian]

Thanks.
You forget it's not that easy for everyone to not use Facebook. In my country, some schools/universities/sport clubs/.. share info like rosters and school work using facebook. So you're more or less required to have a facebook account. And even if you don't share anything personal (like me) you do have to give your phone number.

That's not an excuse. If your school can't understand why you don't want to sign up for Facebook, then maybe you should reconsider going to that school? If they're careless enough about your privacy that they'd force you to do that, they're probably careless about it in other ways.

Also, they didn't get me. Suck it, Zuckerberg.

I think totalitarian better describes him.

It can be both

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Maybe my wife will wake up tp herself and stop using it. I rate F#ckerberg as low as I'd rate Putin, Trump, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-il, Netanyahu, Johnson, Morrison. He is a special class of scum.

 

[ypsylon]

It's shocking news.

It's shocking that at least 533 million people still use FB. How many accounts were stolen and nobody ever released this info nobody knows.

#CancelSuckenberg


5 years has passed yesterday since I've joined TS. Time flies for sure, its scary.

 

[sac39507]

So FB is excellent at censoring free speech but sucks at security? How about you rethink your priorities FB?

Oh wait...I forgot it's intentional

 

[duckofdeath]

So FB is excellent at censoring free speech but sucks at security? How about you rethink your priorities FB?

Oh wait...I forgot it's intentional

Show me one instance where Facebook stopped real free speech. Just one.

 

[terzaerian]

Show me one instance where Facebook stopped real free speech. Just one.

several feminist influencers file a complaint against Facebook for censorship | EarnGurus

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How Facebook censors your posts (FAQ)

High-profile videos involving the police and the black community have put a spotlight on the mess that is Facebook's censorship policies. We've put together the FAQ Facebook lacks to help you understand how, when and why you're being censored.

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Allegations include 'unfair competition, fraud, false advertising, and antitrust' violations

www.theblaze.com

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hongkongfp.com

Five minutes, not even the tip of the iceberg. I haven't seen a more *****ic rhetorical troll post on this site, ever before. There should be an achievement for that.

 

[duckofdeath]

several feminist influencers file a complaint against Facebook for censorship | EarnGurus

A dozen influencer and feminist activists have filed a complaint against Facebook. They accuse the group of vague and unfair moderation methods, especially on

earngurus.com

Facebook censors feminist blogger for writing about periods

'Women's health shouldn't be a taboo subject'

www.independent.co.uk

Facebook accused of censorship after hundreds of US political pages purged

The removal of 800 pages and accounts came as a shock to many on both the left and right

www.theguardian.com

How Facebook censors your posts (FAQ)

High-profile videos involving the police and the black community have put a spotlight on the mess that is Facebook's censorship policies. We've put together the FAQ Facebook lacks to help you understand how, when and why you're being censored.

www.cnet.com

BREAKING: Steven Crowder’s lawyer files lawsuit against Facebook alleging litany of censorship-related offenses | Blaze Media

Allegations include 'unfair competition, fraud, false advertising, and antitrust' violations

www.theblaze.com

Censorship investigation of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter launched by Indiana Attorney General

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has launched an investigation into whether five tech companies have engaged in business practices that are “abusive, deceptive and/or unfair.”

www.wane.com

Facebook bans Press TV page AGAIN as Iranian outlet decries move as ‘censorship’ & ‘attack on free speech’

Iranian media outlet Press TV has condemned Facebook for “censorship” after its main page was banned on the site yet again, with the platform citing violations of its “community standards” and stating the move can’t be undone.

www.rt.com

Trump blasts big tech ‘censorship’ after interview pulled by Facebook

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday night decried big tech “censorship” after an interview he gave to his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was taken off Facebook. “I did a very nice interview wit…

nypost.com

Prominent Chinese feminist social media account censored on International Women's Day | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

A prominent Chinese feminist account was forcibly shut down on Thursday – International Women’s Day. The Feminist Voices account on Sina Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media platforms, received a notice saying it was suspended due to “irregularities” late on Thursday evening. Prior to...

hongkongfp.com

Five minutes, not even the tip of the iceberg. I haven't seen a more *****ic rhetorical troll post on this site, ever before. There should be an achievement for that.

Not one of those examples are Facebook blocking ANYONE'S free speech.
Free speech is not a free access to other people's infrastructure.

Show me ONE example of Facebook blocking anyone's FREE SPEECH. If you don't understand the definition of FREE SPEECH, look it up first.

 

[terzaerian]

Not one of those examples are Facebook blocking ANYONE'S free speech.
Free speech is not a free access to other people's infrastructure.

Show me ONE example of Facebook blocking anyone's FREE SPEECH. If you don't understand the definition of FREE SPEECH, look it up first.

No, you're the one that doesn't understand the First Amendment.

By law, it's true the First Amendment only prevents the state from infringing on freedom of speech. However, by doing so it recognizes that the right exists, self-evident. So when Facebook engages in censorship, it is not violating the law, but it is still violating the right.

If you can't understand why that's still a problem, you're beyond reasoning with or work for Facebook.

 

[duckofdeath]

No, you're the one that doesn't understand the First Amendment.

By law, it's true the First Amendment only prevents the state from infringing on freedom of speech. However, by doing so it recognizes that the right exists, self-evident. So when Facebook engages in censorship, it is not violating the law, but it is still violating the right.

If you can't understand why that's still a problem, you're beyond reasoning with or work for Facebook.

The first amendment is about YOUR rights to have YOUR opinions heard vs the government. I.e. The GOVERNMENT isn't allowed to prevent you from uttering your opinion.
Mark Zuckerberg is a greedy, amoral person. But he's not the government. Neither is Facebook.