Facebook Inadvertently Saves Millions Of User Credentials In Text File

By now most, if not all, of the people you know are into social media and on Facebook in particular. However, with the recent discovery, you may want to change your password. According to a recent report by KrebsOnSecurity, hundreds of millions of usernames and passwords on Facebook were stored in a plain text file. The file was reported to have been accessed by 20,000 facebook employees. A reason why IT consultants always advise changing passwords every now and then.

The sheer number of user credentials stored in the text file is just screaming data breach all over it. And the fact that it has been accessed by Facebook employees more than 9 million times makes it vulnerable to abuse. However, upon investigation, there had been no abuse or misuse of the data stored in the text file as stated by Facebook software engineer Scott Renfro. He added that the user credentials were accidentally logged but it was without risk.

This incident it the latest in a series of security-related issues being faced by the social media giant. The company, however, is taking steps to prevent such cases in the future. While this gives little consolation to the people who were affected by other incidents last year, it definitely is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, IT consultant Columbia normally advise against using the same password or one password for multiple accounts on social media and other websites.

According to Facebook’s official statement, users have nothing to worry about unless they receive a notification from the company. If users to get a notification, it will most likely be regarding a request for password change. Despite the efforts that Facebook is taking to protect its users, we must always remain vigilant with how we manage out passwords. After all, it is our information security that we are talking about when it comes to use credentials.

Want to keep your business secure from hackers? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today to get overall protection.

 

SpartanTec, Inc. Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 408-7166 http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

cities served:
Columbia, West Columbia, Cayce, St Andrews, Lexington, Oak Grove