Phone Numbers, Private Details of Over 500 Million Facebook Users Leaked Online

New Delhi: In a massive data leak, the personal information of more than 500 million Facebook users was published online on Saturday by a user in a low-level hacking forum. The leaked data includes private details such as phone numbers, full names, locations, email addresses, birthdays, and bios. Also Read – Facebook Launches Holi-themed Avatar Stickers | Check Steps to Create Your Avatar

The Facebook data leak has hit more than 533 million Facebook accounts from 106 countries, including records of over 6 million users in India, 32 million in the US, and 11 million in the UK. Also Read – Facebook Working on Instagram For Kids Under Age 13

Security researchers have warned that the leaked data could be used by hackers to impersonate people and commit fraud. Also Read – Smartphone Users Attention: Facebook Bringing in This Vital Change From Today. Details Here

Reuters reported that the database appears to be the same set of Facebook-linked telephone numbers that has been circulating in hacker circles since January and whose existence was first reported by tech publication Motherboard, according to Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybercrime intelligence firm Hudson Rock.

Reuters was not immediately able to vet the information, which was being offered by a leaker for a few euros’ worth of digital credit on a well-known site for low-level hackers.

The authenticity of at least some of the data was verified by Alon Gal on Saturday by comparing it against phone numbers of people he knew. Other journalists said they have also been able to match known phone numbers to the details in the data dump.

However, Facebook issued a statement saying the data was “very old” and related to issue that the social media site had fixed back in August 2019.