Site icon NorthEast Now

Lapse in Facebook security, phone numbers of 400 million users exposed

Representational image

US media reported that phone numbers linked to over 400 million Facebook accounts were listed online recently.

“This is the latest privacy lapse for the social media giant,” it was further reported.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

TechCruch reported, “An exposed server stored 419 million records on users across several databases.”

“This included 133 million US accounts, over 50 million in Vietnam, and 18 million in Britain,” the report further stated.

“The databases listed Facebook user IDs – unique digits attached to each account – the profiles’ phone numbers, as well as the gender listed by some accounts and their geographical locations,” further reported TechCrunch.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

The TechCrunch report further informed that the server was not password protected and it remained online till late Wednesday.

Even though Facebook confirmed the report it, however, said that the number of accounts exposed was around half of the reported 419 million.

“The dataset has been taken down and we have seen no evidence that Facebook accounts were compromised,” AFP reported quoting a Facebook spokesperson.

The exposure of a user’s phone number leaves them vulnerable to spam calls, and SIM-swapping.

 

Exit mobile version