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Apr 15, 2019 · Insider reports that 533 million Facebook users’ phone numbers and personal data have been leaked online. We’ve also seen it happen to clients more than once. In fact, a woman named “Blair” (fake name) says she’s been the victim of Facebook fraud at the hands of her former lover.
Aug 2, 2020 · A hacked Facebook account goes for $74.50 on average, while Instagram accounts averaged $55.45 and Twitter logins went for $49 on average.
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Did you know 533 million Facebook users have been leaked online?
- Overview
- How to find out if your data was leaked
The personal details of more than 500 million Facebook users — including full names and phone numbers — were posted to an online forum earlier this week. Private data that was not listed in public profiles was also shared, including unique Facebook user ID numbers, user location information, job details, gender information and other details.
The leaked data was published on a public hacker forum and discovered by Alon Gal of Hudson Rock Security, who shared the news on Twitter. The hacked database appears to include nearly 533 million users across "all countries," including 32.3 million people in the U.S. and 11.5 million in the U.K. Gal also noted that an anonymous hacker created a Telegram bot that could — for a fee — search the database for specific phone numbers.
"This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019," a Facebook company spokesperson told CBS News. "We found and fixed this issue in August 2019."
That argument doesn't hold water, said ZDNet's Larry Dignan. "Phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names and birth dates aren't likely to change often. That data is durable and has a long shelf life. It would be valuable for cybercrime whether it was 2019 or 2010."
There are few, if any, legitimate methods of mining this Facebook data breach for your personal records. While the full data package is publicly available for download as 106 individual files to forum members, accessing and possessing stolen data is often considered a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
As for the Telegram bot created to sell access to individual records inside the Facebook leak, Dignan advises against using the site to search for your own records, as it is likely illegal to access and use. Instead, he suggests monitoring your email for phishing scams and signing up with a credit monitoring service.
You can also register and search for your personal information on a website maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures that tracks data breaches.
HaveIBeenPwned is one of the best-known websites that tracks data breaches. Maintained by respected security researcher Troy Hunt, the site lets users legally search billions of records for email addresses, phone numbers and other personal information.
To mitigate future hacks, Dignan suggests changing passwords often and enabling two-factor authentication for email, social media sites and banking sites. Password wallets like LastPass and 1Password can help securely manage unique passwords and will also notify you if a password is weak, reused or compromised.
"In the long run, I think [everyone] needs to evaluate what data they share with companies and ponder the returns," Dignan advised. "Facebook often argues that in exchange for sharing personal details, you get better ad targeting and more relevant information. But I don't think that argument cuts it anymore."
- CBS News
- 8 min
Jun 1, 2022 · Cordes now faces a race against time to regain control of her account in the 30-day period Facebook allows someone to contest a suspension decision. If Facebook doesn't hear anything within that ...
- Matthew Humphries
- Senior Editor
Nov 13, 2023 · How Much Is a Hacked Social Media Account Worth? A 2023 Whizcase dark web study scoured multiple dark web marketplaces and exchanges to find the average price for each type of social media profile. Here’s what hacked social media accounts retail for:
If you think your account has been hacked or taken over, we can help you secure your account, change your password and review recent login activity.
Hacked and Fake Accounts. Your account should represent you, and only you should have access to your account. If someone gains access to your account, or creates an account to pretend to be you or someone else, we want to help. We also encourage you to let us know about accounts that represent fake or fictional people, pets, celebrities or ...
