[NEWS] Researchers find 540 million Facebook user records on exposed servers – Loganspace

Security researchers possess learned a range of of millions ofFacebookuser data sitting on an inadvertently public storage server.

The 2 batches of user data were amassed and uncovered from two third-occasion companies, essentially based fully mostly on researchers at security company UpGuard, who learned the knowledge.

Inthe researchers’ write-up,Mexico-essentially based fully mostly digital media company Cultura Colectiva left more than 540 million data — collectively with comments, likes, reactions, myth names and more — saved on the Amazon S3 storage server with out a password, allowing any individual to win admission to the knowledge. Any other backup file bydefunct California-essentially based fully mostly app maker At The Pool contained far more delicate info, collectively with scraped info on over 22,000 users, collectively with each myth user’s chums lists, interests, pictures, neighborhood memberships, and check-ins.

In step with UpGuard, neither company answered to requests to possess the knowledge removed. Facebook contacted Amazon to drag the knowledge offline, a Facebook spokesperson advised TechCrunch.

“Facebook’s policies restrict storing Facebook info in a public database,” said the spokesperson. Facebook said there is now not any proof to mutter the knowledge has been misused nonetheless that the corporate is investigating.

It’s the most unusual info lapse bright the social media giant since the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, which saw more than 87 million Facebook user data scraped without consentby the U.Okay.-essentially based fully mostly political info company. The company used to be accused of using the knowledge to help invent profiles on voters so as to help the presidential campaigns for Ted Cruz and later Donald Trump.

UpGuard previously learned a batch of scraped Facebookbright 48 million datafrom Localblox in 2018. The company scrapes publicly readily available info on social media profiles.

Chris Vickery, director of cyber likelihood research at UpGuard, advised TechCrunch: “These finds continue to highlight the problems which plague companies that count upon mass info series.”

“Storing non-public info amassed from discontinue users is a liability,” said Vickery. “The more you possess gotten, the greater that liability turns into.”