Privacy is a very important factor when browsing the net. However, there are many factors that can put personal information and any type of data at risk. This can especially happen when we use social networks, since they are services where a lot of information is exchanged. In this article, we echo a Facebook failure that has put the personal information of Instagram users at risk.
A glitch in Facebook leaks data from Instagram users
As we know, both Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social networks with the most users today. This means that when a problem arises that affects one or the other, a lot of data could be exposed.
A security researcher, Saugat Pokharel , who was participating in the Facebook bounty program, identified a flaw that exposed personal data of Instagram users. This included the email address and date of birth. Keep in mind that our personal data has great value on the net and the fact that something like the email address is leaked can be a significant problem. Even more so when when registering on a platform of this type they indicate that this data will never be made public.
Pokharel explains that this flaw made it easier for an attacker to obtain private information from Instagram users. This error, as indicated, was present in the Business Suite tool, for Facebook business accounts and offered access to a test function.
This experimental function consisted of a Facebook account being linked to Instagram and in this way the Suite tool would show more information about the person and a direct message option, as well as the date of birth and the email address.
The attack worked on private accounts
This attack worked on accounts that were set as private and were not receiving private messages . Accounts could not be notified if the profile was viewed.
From Facebook they indicated that this error was active for a short period of time and it was during an experiment carried out in October. Logically, once the social network found out about this problem, they immediately solved it. It was from that moment that they revealed the details of the problem.
Ultimately, this problem has affected a social network with millions of users. A failure that has been able to expose personal data of users, something that has great value on the network and that can be used to send targeted advertising, include users in Spam lists or even sell that information to third parties.
For all this we must always take care of our personal data on the Internet. Especially we must be careful not to leak information when using social networks, as it can be used by hackers to put our privacy and security at risk.
