Over a billion Facebook users have had their private account information stolen in one of the largest data breaches in social media history. A cybercriminal using the alias “ByteBreaker” claims to have scraped 1.2 billion Facebook records and is now selling the data on the dark web. Scraping involves using automated tools to collect large amounts of data from websites, similar to copying and pasting information at scale. Cybersecurity researchers revealed that the stolen data includes names, user IDs, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, gender information and location data. Officials are urging all Facebook users to change their passwords, freeze their credit, and activate fraud alerts on their bank accounts. You can also enable two-factor authentication, which adds an extra step to logins, like a code sent to your phone or email, making it harder for hackers to access your account even if they have your password. ByteBreaker contains enough information for cybercriminals to open credit cards in victims’ names and access their financial accounts. Facebook, however, is questioning whether the cyber thief actually has what they claim. Nevertheless, Facebook users are urged to err on the side of caution and change their passwords immediately.
