Facebook says hackers accessed data of 29m users

Published October 13, 2018
Facebook said on Friday that hackers accessed personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s leading social network disclosed late last month. — File Photo
Facebook said on Friday that hackers accessed personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s leading social network disclosed late last month. — File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said on Friday that hackers accessed personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s leading social network disclosed late last month.

The company had originally said up to 50 million accounts were affected in a cyber attack that exploited a trio of software flaws to steal “access tokens” that enable people to automatically log back onto the platform.

“We now know that fewer people were impacted than we originally thought,” Facebook vice president of product management Guy Rosen said in an online post.

The hackers — whose identities are still a mystery — accessed the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of 15 million users, he said.

For another 14 million people, the attack was potentially more damaging.

Cyber attackers accessed that data plus additional information including gender, religion, hometown, birth date, and places they had recently “checked in” to as visiting, according to Facebook.

No data was accessed in the accounts of the remaining one million people whose “access tokens” were stolen, according to Rosen.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...