Passwords of Some Facebook’s Users Were Stored in Plain Text
Passwords of Some Facebook’s Users Were Stored in Plain Text | |
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Short Title | Employees of Facebook Could Access Millions of Users' Passwords |
Location | Global |
Date | 2019 |
Solove Harm | Insecurity |
Information | Authenticating, Identifying, Contact |
Threat Actors | |
Individuals | |
Affected | Facebook Users |
High Risk Groups | |
Tangible Harms |
Facebook announced that millions of user account passwords were stored insecurely, potentially allowing employees to access users' accounts.
Description
In March 2019 Facebook announced that millions of passwords of users' accounts had been stored insecurely, potentially allowing employees to gain access to people’s accounts without their knowledge. They were being stored in a readable format within Facebook's internal data storage systems. Storing passwords in plain text leaves them wide open to cyberattacks or potential employee abuse.Insecurity
As a precaution, Facebook stated they would be notifying everyone whose passwords they have found were stored in this way. The company also has repeatedly said it plans to improve how it safeguards people’s data.
Laws and Regulations
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/technology/personaltech/facebook-passwords.html
https://about.fb.com/news/2019/03/keeping-passwords-secure/