A huge database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

guest · Sep 4, 2019

A huge database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online
September 4, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/04/facebook-phone-numbers-exposed/

Hundreds of millions of phone numbers linked to Facebook accounts have been found online.
The exposed server contained over 419 million records over several databases on users across geographies, including 133 million records on U.S.-based Facebook users, 18 million records of users in the U.K., and another with more than 50 million records on users in Vietnam.
But because the server wasn’t protected with a password, anyone could find and access the database.

This latest incident exposed millions of users’ phone numbers just from their Facebook IDs, putting them at risk of spam calls and SIM-swapping attacks, which relies on tricking cell carriers into giving a person’s phone number to an attacker.

Sanyam Jain, a security researcher and member of the GDI Foundation, found the database and contacted TechCrunch after he was unable to find the owner.
Jain said he found profiles with phone numbers associated with several celebrities.
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Facebook spokesperson Jay Nancarrow said the data had been scraped before Facebook cut off access to user phone numbers.

“This dataset is old and appears to have information obtained before we made changes last year to remove people’s ability to find others using their phone numbers,” the spokesperson said. “The dataset has been taken down and we have seen no evidence that Facebook accounts were compromised.”
But questions remain as to exactly who scraped the data, when it was scraped from Facebook, and why.
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guest · Sep 5, 2019

Facebook’s lead EU regulator is asking questions about its latest security fail
September 5, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/05/f...ing-questions-about-its-latest-security-fail/

Facebook’s lead data protection regulator in Europe has confirmed it’s put questions to the company about a major security breach that we reported on yesterday.

“The DPC became aware of this issue through the recent media coverage and we immediately made contact with Facebook and we have asked them a series of questions. We are awaiting Facebook’s responses to those questions,” a spokeswoman for the Irish Data Protection Commission told us.

The UK’s data protection watchdog, the ICO, told us it is aware of the Facebook security incident.

“We are in contact with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), as they are the lead supervisory authority for Facebook Ireland Limited. The ICO will continue to liaise with the IDPC to establish the details of the incident and to determine if UK residents have been affected,” a spokeswoman said.
It’s not yet clear whether the Irish DPC will open a formal investigation into the breach of Facebook users’ phone numbers.
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guest · Sep 6, 2019

Millions of Facebook users’ phone numbers may still be exposed online
The sensitive user data has popped back up on a new server
September 6, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/6/2...umbers-exposed-database-server-security-issue

Data scraped from an exposed Facebook database containing user phone numbers and information that linked those phone numbers to names and other profile information has popped back up in a separate online repository, even after the initial database was mysteriously pulled offline, according to a report last night from CNET.

Speaking with UK security researcher Elliott Murray, CNET reports that the current trove of phone number data appears to have been completely scraped from the earlier database. It’s unclear who owns either database, but Facebook confirmed the data was scraped from a server that stored it as part of a feature that let users look one another up by their phone numbers.
Murray tells CNET the data found in this new database is “almost certainly the same” as the information in the initial one. Murray did not disclose where or how he came across the new database.

Facebook did not response to a request for comment on whether this information was indeed scraped before it took its database down, and what it plans to do now that the information is no longer stored on one of its own servers.
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guest · Dec 19, 2019

Millions of Facebook user phone numbers exposed online, security researchers say
More than 267 million Facebook user IDs, phone numbers and names were in an unsecured database
December 19, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/millions-...bers-exposed-online-security-researchers-say/

More than 267 million Facebook user phone numbers, names and user IDs were exposed in a database that anyone could access online, adding to a long list of privacy and security mishaps that continue to plague the world's largest social network.

Security researcher Bob Diachenko discovered the trove of Facebook user data on Dec. 14. The database, which has been pulled down, wasn't protected by a password or any other safeguard. Access to the database was removed, but by then the information had been out in the open for nearly two weeks.
This isn't the first time a security researcher has uncovered a database filled with Facebook user data.

Comparitech said the exposed Facebook data puts users at risk for spam and phishing campaigns. A Facebook user ID contains unique numbers that can be used to figure out a person's Facebook username and other profile information.
Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Comparitech: Report: 267 million Facebook users IDs and phone numbers exposed online

guest · Apr 20, 2020

mood said: ↑

Comparitech: Report: 267 million Facebook users IDs and phone numbers exposed online
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Updated (March 6, 2020):

Report: 267 million Facebook users IDs and phone numbers exposed online (UPDATE: now 309 million)
Update on March 6, 2020: A second server was exposed by what appears to be the same criminal group. The data in this server is identical to the first, plus an additional 42 million records. We’ve updated this article accordingly.
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guest · Apr 20, 2020

267 million Facebook profiles sold for $600 on the dark web
April 20, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...cebook-profiles-sold-for-600-on-the-dark-web/

Threat actors are selling over 267 million Facebook profiles for £500 ($623) on dark web sites and hacker forums. While none of these records include passwords, they do contain information that could allow attackers to perform spear phishing or SMS attacks to steal credentials.

Last month, security researcher Bob Diachenko discovered an open Elasticsearch database that contained a little over 267 million Facebook records, with most being users from the United States.
Soon after, a second server containing the same data plus an addition 42 million records was brought online but was quickly attacked by unknown threat actors who left a message telling the owners to secure their servers.
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Data now being sold for £500
This weekend, cybersecurity intelligence firm Cyble discovered a threat actor selling this database for £500 on the dark web and through hacking forums.

In a conversation with Beenu Arora, CEO of Cyble, BleepingComputer was told that the researchers have purchased the database to verify the data and that they are adding it to their http://AmIbreached.com breach notification service.

"At this stage, we are not aware of how the data got leaked at the first instance, it might be due to a leakage in third-party API or scrapping," Arora told BleepingComputer. "Given the data contain sensitive details on the users, it might be used by cybercriminals for phishing and spamming."
How can this sold data affect you?
The database being sold does not contain Facebook account passwords, but it does contain email addresses and phone numbers for some users.
This could allow attackers to create spear-phishing campaigns that aim to steal your password using email campaigns or SMS texts that pretend to be from Facebook.
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