back to article Facebook mass hack last month was so totally overblown – only 30 million people affected

Facebook users can relax and get back to interacting with quality content and authentic individuals on the social network. Last month's deliberate theft of private account records from the internet giant, initially believed to affect 50 million or maybe 90 million accounts, turns out to be nowhere near that bad. Cough. On …

  1. Sandtitz Silver badge
    Go

    The only solution

    If Google is shutting down G+ because 500K user accounts have been at risk, although nothing probably happened - shouldn't FB shut down their platform immediately because of this 30M user accounts' verified hackjob?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The only solution

      It's a nice idea but that smacks (slang for heroin) already in the veins of the poor users.

      Examples.

      Lets say you have 20 real life friends that you interact with outside facebook and 300 friends (I use that term very loosely) you interact with on facebook are you going to shelve all those interactions or are you going to stick with it for fear of losing out on something? You know, like a wedding, a new baby, what the weather is like or how one of your friends has had a public breakdown over their ex? There's also the fear factor that if you delete your account you may bump into to someone and have to explain why. What reason do you give to a current smack user?

      Therefore Facebook can't shut down as there would be uproar. Plus the governments love facebook as it allows them to manipulate and monitor all the citizens.

      1. DavCrav

        Re: The only solution

        "are you going to shelve all those interactions or are you going to stick with it for fear of losing out on something?"

        I did. I quit Facebook, losing connections with hundreds of people I've known over the years. I decided that it was worth it.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: The only solution

          I'm with you, I did the same a very long time ago. It's just facebook is the familiar for most.

          1. Waseem Alkurdi

            Re: The only solution

            Well in my case, Facebook quit me.

            (Explanation: Set my DoB to a day in 2018 "forgot to set the year" leading FB to disable my account as I was under 13. Asks for my ID to re-enable, so good riddance).

            1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
              Coat

              Well whaddya know, there are kids that read El Reg.

              I'm gonna have to pay more attention to my vocabulary now.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                @Pascal Monett

                What the hell are you talking about?

                1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

                  Did you read the post before mine ?

    2. GnuTzu
      Big Brother

      Re: The only solution -- Withdrawal Symptoms

      I wonder how many Facebook users would go through serious withdrawal symptoms if Facebook closed. It makes one think about the level of conditioning that Internet addicts are subjected to by all these Facebook privacy incidents and security breaches.

      1. Danny 14

        Re: The only solution -- Withdrawal Symptoms

        I was more annoyed because my account wasnt "hacked". I need to know the fake date of birth I signed up with as I cannot reset the password without it. Be damned if I can remember what it was.

  2. EveryTime

    Read the executive summary in the first paragraph... no need to read further.

    Thanks!

  3. Jay Lenovo
    Black Helicopters

    Auto Deaths, Cancer, and Facebook

    Facebook has become big enough now that 30 million PII fatalities are sad yet unremarkable.

    There is not enough pesticide to keep this homogeneous application from disease.

  4. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    So victims are told looking after the consequences ID is a DIY job. I suppose it's arguable that they can't do a worse job than FB. Nevertheless I trust this puts the GDPR fines into the top tier.

  5. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Translation

    People's privacy and security is incredibly important and we're sorry this happened: Abusing users' privacy is our prerogative.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    schadenfreude

    German

    noun

    pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: schadenfreude

      I think that's the name of the new Audi.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: schadenfreude

        Nah they're all a jumble of letters and numbers, even the engines are known by numbers rather than their cylinder capacity now.

        eg. A4 25 TDi or A6 50 TFSI

        As incomprehensible to the average person as the post-2001 GB numberplate change.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm

    Something's not adding up.

    These so-called "hackers" had users access tokens but used that power to just grab some identities of some users and the FBI is telling Facebook to keep mum about who the hackers may be?

    I don't know, but every "hack" I've seen is always after fast money. Always!

    I've seen fileless rootkits that used Powershell and Wscript to exploit a box only to try and make a quick buck from fraudulent clicks on advertiser links hidden from the user or the myriad of cyryptomining schemes or encrypted hacks hidden in stego'd .PNG images to illicit an ill gotten advertising dollar.

    This latest Facebook gaff seems to be devoid of any of the normal money making hacks and almost appears (from FB own reports) to be a targeted search for idententies that could have been gathered much easier with just a Facebook Developer account and a dodgy Android app.

    Also, Facebook decided to double the time it takes to (supposedly) delete a FB account from 14 days to 30 just after this hack.

    Something seems off about this whole thing.

    1. Waseem Alkurdi

      Re: Hmmm

      But couldn't it be possibly that the data was mined for sale, whether to an advertiser or a rogue TLA?

    2. HolySchmoley

      Re: Hmmm

      Upvoted, but...

      'I don't know, but every "hack" I've seen is always after fast money. Always!'

      I guess you haven't been following recent years' news about political motives...?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hmmm

        "I guess you haven't been following recent years' news about political motives...?"

        I have indeed, but that still falls within the "fast money" realm if you want to talk politics. ;-)

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    "Dear users, you've been hacked"

    Please change your password, email address, home address, name and last name, date of birth, parents, spouse, children, job, education, and if you've posted photos, please contact a reputable surgeon to change your face as well, and whenever acceptable, gender.

    1. WallMeerkat

      Re: "Dear users, you've been hacked"

      Don't forget these "Pass it along" posts where people are asking their first pet / street they grew up on / first car and other details, I'm sure if you forwarded it with bank account number and PIN some gullible fools would fill it in

  9. T. F. M. Reader

    Appropriate choice of words

    "People's privacy and security is incredibly important..."

    Right. I don't believe it.

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Oh but you can believe it.

      It's just that Zuckerberg doesn't give a shit.

    2. HolySchmoley

      Re: Appropriate choice of words

      "People's privacy and security is incredibly important..."

      Perhaps the Zuckerborg interprets that to mean,

      "It's not credible that people's privacy and security are important..."

  10. lee harvey osmond

    14.7m

    Last communication I saw from Facebook was that the estimate is down to 14.7m

    Among UK FB accounts, I am seeing a pattern in who did or did not get hacked. I suspect whoever did this didn't go hacking accounts at random; they had a list of targets before they started.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 14.7m

      I would have also hacked enough accounts at random to disguise the real target, as long as it didn't trigger too many alarm bells.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe.......

    They just sold 30 million pieces of data to the highest bidder !!

    Wouldnt put it past the Fuckerberg.

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