Facebook Faces New Accusation of Data Leak Via Quiz App

A security failure in a popular quiz app on Facebook left millions of people's data exposed for almost two years, a cybersecurity activist revealed Thursday. From a report: The application, called Nametests.com, has run Facebook quizzes for years, but it left unprotected the personal data of Facebook users taking such a quiz on its website, allowing third parties to read and steal the data, the activist said. The leak was discovered by Belgian hacker Inti de Ceukelaire, who published his findings in a blog post. "There was a security leak at one of the most popular quiz apps that was accessible for at least two years," De Ceukelaire told POLITICO. "I can only note that Facebook didn't see this." He added that the data exposed included pictures, status updates, friends lists and more.

Re:

[Joce640k]

"Since NameTests displayed their user’s personal data in javascript file"

WTF does that even mean. Javascript cannot save files.

It can't save file on the local machine but it can certainly scrape a web page and send the contents to a server.

Or maybe it means they did:

document.write("Joe Sixpack");

And this info was scraped by another script.

All kidding aside...

[Rob Y.]

...why on Earth does Facebook pay for content with your data? Because that seems to be their business model. They want games, etc. in order to keep you on their site - and sell ads against you. So far, so good. But why not give 3rd party content providers a cut of the ad revenue? Isn't that what Google does with YouTube?

As it is, Facebook seems to want the content - while hoarding all the ad revenue for itself. Nice business model, if you can manage to blur the lines enough so that your users don't understand just what greedy, unscrupulous shits you are. And 'they all do it' won't cut it. It just serves Facebook's agenda. They don't all do what is being described here. Only Facebook, that we know of, stoops that low.

Remind me again, How many employees?

[goombah99]

Face book is freaking enormous. What the hell do all these people do if not security design and security inspection? Pass a law making them liable. Screw it if it puts them out of bussiness.

Yes, but

[orev]

Yes, Facebook is bad, but this is on some PARTNER web site. Is Facebook (and every other Internet company) supposed to constantly pen test the sites of all their partners? They should probably have contracts in place, but legally the risk lies with Nametests, not Facebook. Facebook can only do so much to enforce the practices on their partners.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Facebook == Digital Tobacco

[ytene]

Hopefully we've reached a point where anyone old enough to buy tobacco understands that it kills, that it causes lunch cancer, throat cancer, hardens arteries, kills taste buds and is generally not very pleasant. Apparently, it's also highly addictive.

Yet, dangerous as it is - and as widely as that danger is understood - people still smoke.



In a similar way, Facebook is just as harmful. Although the fact that it's now widely understood that it can kill your privacy, a frightening number of users remain in either ignorance or denial of the way that it can harm their lives.

Here are some [known, established examples] of the way that your Facebook profile can harm you:-

- If you apply for a job today, many employers will search your FB profile to get an idea of your "maturity" and behaviours.
- If you apply for health insurance or similar, companies will search your profile for evidence of you smoking, drinking to excess, participating in high-risk sports, etc.
- If you apply for a credit card or loan, banks will search your network of friends for any with bad credit histories, criminal convictions or other "red flags".
- If you "pull a 'sickie'" and call in to work sick, companies will search your social media profiles for activity on those days
- on and on and on...

Here's the bottom line:-
Very few people smoke and experience no ill effects
Most smokers suffer illnesses, compromised immune systems, shortness of breath, lack of fitness and die earlier than non-smokers
Quite a few smokers contract serious illnesses, including cancers, and experience abnormally premature death


Face book is like that:-
Very few Facebook users will be able to access the platform with no ill effects on their lives
Most users will experience ill-effects, although they may not even be aware of it happening. Credit cards might charge a bit more; job applications might be unsuccessful, that sort of thing.
And a smaller but unknown number of Facebook users could experience serious ill-effects from use of the platform, although, I'd concede, these are people who do something a little foolish like post to say they are overseas on holiday and then get back to find their home has been burgled...

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that Facebook are directly degrading people's lives. Rather, they are selling access to your data to other companies that can degrade your life. Bottom line?

If you don't want ill-effects, don't use it. Just say no.

Re:

[Cro Magnon]

In a similar way, Facebook is just as harmful. Although the fact that it's now widely understood that it can kill your privacy, a frightening number of users remain in either ignorance or denial of the way that it can harm their lives.

Here are some [known, established examples] of the way that your Facebook profile can harm you:-

- If you apply for a job today, many employers will search your FB profile to get an idea of your "maturity" and behaviours.

- If you apply for health insurance or similar, companies will search your profile for evidence of you smoking, drinking to excess, participating in high-risk sports, etc.

- If you apply for a credit card or loan, banks will search your network of friends for any with bad credit histories, criminal convictions or other "red flags".

- If you "pull a 'sickie'" and call in to work sick, companies will search your social media profiles for activity on those days

- on and on and on...

1. I don't display my immaturity on FB. There, I'm respectable, downright boring guy.

2. I don't smoke, drink, or take dangerous chances. My only health vice is I drink too much Coke.

3. None of my current FB friends have any known "red flags". A previous friend had issues, but he lost his FB account years ago due to pwnage.

4. Unless I'm unconscious, or in a hospital, there's nothing odd about posting on FB while sick at home. Unless I'm stupid enough to post pics of the beach or whereever I'm really

Re:

[tlhIngan]

In a similar way, Facebook is just as harmful. Although the fact that it's now widely understood that it can kill your privacy, a frightening number of users remain in either ignorance or denial of the way that it can harm their lives.

Here are some [known, established examples] of the way that your Facebook profile can harm you:-

- If you apply for a job today, many employers will search your FB profile to get an idea of your "maturity" and behaviours.

- If you apply for health insurance or similar, companies

Facebook or stupidthing.com's problem?

[CharlesAKAChuck]

I'm confused, some user goes to a website, that website is insecure, and that's somehow Facebook's fault?

Re:

[ytene]

I think you'll find that in this case the circumstances were:-

1. A company ran a quiz which was hosted on Facebook, with Facebook's permission.

2. The same company then, also with Facebook's permission, exported a whole stack of data, from Facebook, to a.n.other web site.

3. Then the a.n.other web site, which was insecure, exposed all the data from Facebook users.

I understand why you might wonder, "Is that Facebook's problem?" and the answer is that Facebook has what is legally known as a "duty of ca

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Facebook faces lost face over losing face pictures

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