On Friday, September 28th, Facebook came forward and announced that an attack on their computer network exposed the data of over 50 million users.
The hackers exploited a flaw in the code to gain access to user accounts and potentially take them over. There were three software flaws that led to the accounts of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and the rest of the 50 million shmucks who were unlucky enough to have their account hacked as well.
The three flaws are relatively embarrassing for a company who prides itself on security: The first two were introduced by an online tool meant to improve the privacy of users (Yikes). The third was introduced in July 2017 by a tool meant to easily upload birthday videos.
Yes, you read that right, birthday videos.
The biggest problem with this hack isn’t just the user facing the risk of their account being taken over — it’s Facebook Connect.
Facebook sold outside companies on Facebook Connect with a simple proposition: Connect to our platform, and we’ll make it faster and easier for people to use your apps. It worked, it’s easy to make an account with your Facebook, the problem is, every account associated with your facebook could be in the hands of a cybercriminal.
Facebook will pay hefty fines, Their stock will take a heavy hit, but that doesn’t leave the users in a very good spot.
Facebook…
YOU BLEW IT.
About the Author
James Migliore is a Co-Founder & Managing Partner at BillowIP. His goal is to help simplify information technology for his clients by serving as a valuable resource in procurement, project management, and support for IT services. You may get in contact with James through email: james@billowip.com or connect with him on LinkedIn
