The Recent Facebook Leak and What it Means for You

On April 3rd, a user posted the personal data from over half a million Facebook users on a small forum. This included phone numbers, Facebook IDs, birthdates, locations, and more. Fortunately, this leak did not include passwords or other financial private data. This data was taken from an old incident in 2019 when exploiters discovered a vulnerability in Facebook’s security system before it was fixed. To check if you were part of this breach, simply type in the email or phone number associated with your account on https://haveibeenpwned.com/.

So, let’s say you are part of this massive leak. What do you do know? Well, fortunately, nothing is life-threatening here. There are some recommendations, however. It is necessary to be wary of phishing, fraud, or other suspicious activity surrounding your accounts. For example, expect emails from suspicious users asking you to click links or for money. Also if your Facebook password is something relatively easy to guess or uses personal information, it is a good idea to change it now. Furthermore, make sure in security settings you have enabled the option that allows you to receive notifications of suspicious log-in attempts. Finally make sure to enable two-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of protection when logging in to a new device.

Today, social media is present in almost everyone’s lives regardless of one’s profession, economic standing, gender, culture, or ethnicity. Social media allows people to share experiences, create communities, and socialize. However, with the rise of social media, privacy is becoming more important. On social media, a user can simply find your public information by searching your name and contact you from across the world, even if they have never met you in person. Most users would like to create a boundary on what information, photos, or posts are viewable to the public. Fortunately, companies are investing billions of dollars and time into ensuring your security and privacy; at the same time, people are beginning to learn useful ways to keep sensitive information hidden.

Image Credits: Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash