Facebook Bug Exposes User Photos: Everything You Need to Know
The latest bug to hit Facebook in 2018 could have affected over 6.8 million users on the platform.
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The breaches at Facebook’s end have become alarmingly regular. This year itself, the company has had to face the Cambridge Analytica data leaks and the View As bug. Before the year ends, a new bug has been reported that may have affected 6.8 million users, which Facebook disclosed on Friday.
The events where Facebook has had to say ‘sorry’ have become more repetitive than Justin Bieber’s song.
This one carries a different threat, letting its third-party developers access photos of users, which weren’t even posted. Over 6.8 million users have likely been affected, according to Facebook. Do you have anything to worry about with this new breach? Here’s what we know so far.
What did the Facebook Bug affect?
The bug disclosed on Friday allowed hundreds of apps on Facebook access to photos without any permission granted. Facebook pointed out that the list of photos could include those people may have uploaded, but hadn't yet posted for some or the other reason.
The bug potentially gave developers access to even more photos, such as those shared on separate Marketplace and Facebook Stories features, as well as photos that weren't actually posted.
Facebook said the users' photos may have been exposed for 12 days in September. The company feels that by saying the bug has been fixed, it can contain the damage done.
Who all are affected?
The company declined to say how many of the affected users are from Europe, but with the number mentioned in the latest breach, it is possible that Indian users, over 240 million of them on the social networking platform, might have been part of the list.
It is said that users giving access to third party Facebook apps could have allowed them to access photos as well. In addition to this, hackers, in the form of “Quiz Apps” and “What Celebrity You Look Like Apps” for example, which suggest you let them view photos might have gotten hold of other information too.
Should You be Worried?
It's not yet known whether anyone actually saw the photos, but the revelation of the now-fixed problem served as another reminder of just how much data Facebook has on its 2.27 billion users, as well has how frequently these slip ups are recurring.
Having multiple breaches of different nature revealed in the same year, doesn’t leave users on its platform with a lot of trust. It’s always advised that no matter where you access the account, make sure you have two-factor authentication activated, ensuring nobody misuses your account for devious purposes.
It’s hard to deny that the scale at which Facebook operates these days, experts are worried about its existence, which has a colossal effect on its users, who, honestly, are getting fed up with these incidents.
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