Facebook security flaw exposes personal information

Posted by Joe on March 26th, 2008

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We created our Facebook identity theft protection guide to help raise awareness about the security risks that are present in the popular social network. Now it appears that a Vancouver based programer has exposed a security flaw in Facebook that has been shown to expose personal information on user profile pages.

The existence of the security loophole was confirmed by the Associated Press after they were tipped off by Byron Ng, a Canadian computer specialist. The AP was able to use Ng’s techniques to view private photo albums posted by the site’s CEO< mark Zuckerberg, among others.

Facebook took immediate action to address the security flaw as soon as they were made aware of it. According to Facebook spokeswoman Brandee Barker the issue was fixed within an hour.

We strongly believe that consumers should understand what risks are associated with using social networks such as Facebook so that they can enjoy them safely. To learn more check out our Facebook identity theft protection guide.

• Facebook phishing scams increase risk of identity theft on the popular social network
• How to report a fake profile page on Facebook
• Facebook moves to protect users in partnership with 49 states
• Your new Facebook friend just stole your identity
• Help us help you protect yourself from identity theft