Half a Billion Facebook Users Exposed in Massive Data Leak
Hackers leak personal details and phone numbers for 533 million Facebook users, highlighting the dangers of linking mobile numbers to online accounts.
Ne'er-do-wells leak personal data, including phone numbers, for 533 million Facebook users this week. Facebook states that malicious actors collected this information before 2020, prior to platform changes that prevented such profile scraping. This massive exposure underscores the critical importance of removing mobile phone numbers from online accounts wherever possible.
Facebook users can easily check if their information appears in the dump by using the HaveIBeenPwned service. By entering their mobile number in international format, users receive a simple yes or no answer regarding their exposure. Interestingly, this database circulates in the cybercrime underground for months before this week's wide release, with previous appearances in a 2020 forum sale and a fee-based Telegram bot.
Many people fail to treat their mobile phone number as sensitive information, but bad actors exploit these digits to cause significant harm. Criminals use exposed numbers to identify linked accounts at email providers and social networks, which primes targets for SIM-swapping attacks. In these schemes, thieves trick or bribe mobile store employees to hijack a victim's phone number and bypass security measures.