Close to 500 million Facebook users’ data — including their names, phone numbers, location, birthdays and email addresses — were posted to a hacking website over the weekend, per Insider.
Facebook hack, explained
According to CNN, the cyberintelligence firm Hudson Rock said that 32 million accounts in the United States — as well as 11 million U.K. accounts and 6 million accounts from India — were hacked over the weekend.
- Information from users was posted on a hacking website.
- The hacked information includes full names, locations, birthdays, email addresses, phone numbers and relationship statuses, according to CNN.
Did Facebook fix the hack?
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN that the information came from a hack in 2019. The social media company said it fixed the issue that led to the hack.
Facebook has faced a number of security issues
Per The Associated Press, Facebook has faced challenges related to data security problems in the past.
- “In 2018, the social media giant disabled a feature that allowed users to search for one another via phone number following revelations that the political firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed information on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent,” according to The Associated Press.
How to stay safe on Facebook
You can visit Facebook’s Help Center to see if you’ve been hacked or if you’re wondering what to do to avoid getting hacked. The page has a number of resources for keeping your account safe.