Hackers Accessed Data From 29 Million Facebook Users

Two weeks ago, Facebook announced that it discovered a security breach allowing hackers to steal Facebook data from millions of accounts, and today, Facebook shared further data on just what was accessed.

To get the Facebook data, hackers took advantage of a security flaw in the social network's "View As" code, a feature designed to let people see what their profile looks like to someone else. The Facebook access tokens that hackers were able to obtain are basically digital keys that allow people to stay logged in to Facebook.

facebooksecurity
According to Facebook, hackers used a set of accounts that they controlled that were connected to Facebook friends. An automated technique was used to move from account to account, allowing them to collect access tokens in September 2018.

Hackers were able to obtain timeline posts, friend lists, groups, and the names of recent Messenger conversations from an initial 400,000 people. People in this group who were Page admins of a Page that had received a message from someone on Facebook had the content of their messages stolen.

After stealing data from the 400,000 people attacked first, Facebook used their friends list to steal access tokens for approximately 30 million people.

For 15 million people, attackers were able to access name and contact details that include phone number and email address.

For 14 million people, hackers were able to access the same information as well as other data that includes username, gender, location, relationship status, religion, hometown, current city, birthdate, device types used to access Facebook, education, work, the last 10 places where they checked in, websites, people, Pages they follow, and 15 most recent searches.

An additional 1 million people had their access tokens stolen but no information was obtained.

According to Facebook, people can find out whether or not they were affected through the Facebook Help Center. Over the "coming days," Facebook plans to send customized messages to the 30 million people who were affected to explain what information hackers might have obtained.

The FBI is investigating the attack and Facebook has been asked "not to discuss who may be behind [the] attack."

Top Rated Comments

iapplelove Avatar
67 months ago
And people looked at me crazy when I say I never had a FB account..
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
67 months ago
This is like the guy that sat on the toilet at 11:59 pm and got off at 12:01 am....Same S*** Different Day.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
67 months ago
I'm not sure it's useful to differentiate between hackers stealing your personal data vs Facebook willingly selling it to others. The net effect is the same.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheSourceOfTruth Avatar
67 months ago
The FBI is investigating the attack and Facebook has been asked "not to discuss who may be behind [the] attack.

It's the Russians.
Blaming everything on Russians is the wrong way forward.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
67 months ago
Are you #2cool4facebook? Let us know below because we are extremely interested.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
67 months ago
The FBI is investigating the attack and Facebook has been asked "not to discuss who may be behind [the] attack.

It's the Russians.
Or China, or North Korea, or Iran.

Glad I deleted my account in 2016.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iPhone 15 USB C Port Event Still

Apple Pushes Back Against iPhone USB-C Regulations in India

Tuesday December 5, 2023 4:18 am PST by
Apple has asked the Indian government to exempt existing iPhones from new rules that require smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port, reports Reuters. India wants to replicate an upcoming European Union rule that requires all smartphones to implement the USB-C charging standard. However, according to a new report, Apple has told India its local production targets will...