Hundreds of millions of Facebook records exposed on Amazon cloud servers

cnn ^ | Updated 3:44 PM ET, Wed April 3, 2019 | Seth Fiegerman and Donie O'Sullivan

[BenLurkin]

Two third-party Facebook app developers were found to have stored user data on Amazon's servers in a way that allowed it to be downloaded by the public, according to a report from UpGuard, a cybersecurity firm.

One of the companies stored 146 gigabytes of data containing more than 540 million records, including comments, likes, reactions and account names, on the Amazon servers, according to UpGuard. The number of users whose data was included is not yet clear.

Another app is said to have stored unprotected Facebook passwords for 22,000 users.

Chris Vickery, the director of cyber risk research at UpGuard, told CNN Business that the find "highlights a problem that is intrinsic with mass data collection."

[BenLurkin]

Vickery said that the data appeared to have been gathered through a Facebook integration. Facebook allows third party developers to integrate apps and websites with its platform to allow for functionality like signing into a service using Facebook.

[dp0622]

FB is close to done with one more disaster.

[CatOwner]

No social media accounts for me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, LinkedIn, etc.

Also, no cloud services. I just set up a couple of WD My Book external USB drives for data backup, and their software wants to set up a cloud interface to save settings and such. Pass!

[jimtorr]

I sign into a game using Facebook.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

[The Antiyuppie]

“FB is close to done with one more disaster.“

There is a nearly unlimited supply of ignorant people. I believe that FB will get in trouble with their “customers” eventually because they won’t have the “right” people.

In the meantime, I would not be surprised if they know your mother’s shoe size. Her REAL shoe size. Even if your mom never was on FB. Don’t forget, they TRADE data too.

When they go down, I wonder if we will get to find out what they really have on us. I’ll bet most people will faint dead away.

[The Antiyuppie]

“I sign into a game using Facebook.”

If that’s the only way to do it I would not be playing that game.

[LegendHasIt]

Now that’s a marriage made in hell.

Facebook and Amazon together, both doing what they do, with a bunch of crooked app writers mixing in their own witches brew of spying and exploitation.

I have little doubt that Google and Twitter and their independent (and in-house) app developers have similar schemes proliferating.

[Mogger]

No social media accounts for me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, LinkedIn, etc.

Those without social media accounts have the most to worry about.

The NSA will wonder what they think they have to hide and will REALLY look into them.

Maybe even post a Tempest van nearby to check them out.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Isn’t Amazon about to get a $10 billion US contract for cloud storage?
Are Amazon servers secure?

[1_Rain_Drop]

"Those without social media accounts have the most to worry about."

I don't have any social accounts nor a cell phone. I don't know what I should worry about, but I do worry, or am concerned.

[minnesota_bound]

#5 I know you did..... : )

[Long Jon No Silver]

I like it

[thoughtomator]

This is why I went through the trouble of DNS blacklisting the entire spectrum of FB servers. You don’t even need an account - they’ll track your web browsing and sell the data to anyone for any purpose anyway.