The personal data of 200,000 Facebook Marketplace users was leaked on a hacker forum. The leaked data reportedly includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook IDs, and Facebook profile information.
According to Squeaking Computer, the data was shared on a dark web forum by known leaker IntelBroker, who claims the data was hacked by someone using “algoatson” on Discord. “In October 2023, a cybercriminal named “algoatson” on Discord hacked right into a provider managing cloud services for Facebook and stole its partial user database of 200,000 entries,” IntelBroker said. The data was allegedly hacked by an “algoatson” through a Meta contract worker.
Bleeping Computer was able to confirm the authenticity of a few of the information by comparing it to known email addresses and phone numbers connected to Facebook Marketplace.
This is just not the first leak of non-public data of Facebook users. In 2021, the data of over 530 million Facebook users was leaked on an internet forum. The data breaches occurred in 2019, meaning personal information has been circulating on the dark web for 2 years. As a result, Meta was fined €265 million for violating the EU’s GDPR, which protects user privacy.
How to protect yourself from a Facebook Marketplace breach
If, like lots of us, you might be an avid Facebook Marketplace user, there are methods to block your account. Change your Facebook password and switch on two-factor authentication (2FA), which adds a second layer of verification by asking in your identity on a second device. Be especially vigilant about suspicious emails or text messages, as they might be a phishing attempt using your Facebook details.
Credit : mashable.com
