A database of more than 267 million Facebook user IDs, phone numbers and names have surfaced on the web for everyone to access.

According to security researcher Bob Diachenko, the data from the data leak is most likely the result of a so-called illegal scraping operation or Facebook API misuse. Criminals in Vietnam are probably behind this.

The one in the database may also have been used. The information contained therein could have been used, among other things, to carry out large-scale SMS spam and phishing campaigns and therefore also poses a threat to users.

[mk_ad]

In fact, the database was online for a good two weeks, but this danger was initially averted: Diachenko immediately notified the Internet service provider so that access to the database could be removed. However, there is a problem because, according to the security researcher, the data was also made available for download in a hacker forum

Data leak: 267 million records

According to Comparitech , there are precisely 267,140,436 records that are present in this database. Most of the affected users were from the United States. The data contained therein includes, among other things, the unique Facebook ID, the associated phone number and the name of the user.

Facebook users should therefore pay attention to suspicious text messages. Even if the sender knows your name or certain information about you, be wary of any unsolicited messages.

[mk_ad]

Data leak: close your profile!

In order not to run the risk of your own data being read, you should make your own profile as dense as possible. We strongly refer you to our article “ Tips and Tricks: How secure is your Facebook profile? “.

If you don't have the right settings for your profile, you often experience unpleasant surprises on the social media platform. Then photos are stolen and misused, a user's identity is stolen and friendships are faked in order to take money out of other people's pockets. We therefore recommend taking appropriate precautions so that there will be fewer problems in the event of a data leak.

Article image: Lukas Gojda / Shutterstock


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )