“Hai bb, it’s me, your friend Facebook. Just a quick msg to let you know that maybe, maybe, biiig maaaybe, I’ve inadvertently leaked your info and the contact details of some six million people because of a new bug which I just discovered I had. Feelin’ pretty :S and :'( about it” is exactly the gist of a status update posted this morning by Facebook’s security team, The White Hat program, revealing that the ASL’s of some six million users have been compromised by a bug.
¯_(-_-)_/¯
The since-remedied virus targeted the Download Your Information tool, a neat trick you’ve probably tried which allows users to export and sync contact data between their Facebook accounts with their various address books to generate friend recommendations. Unfortunately, millions of savvy networkers who use that tool [maybe that’s you – life’s a lottery, we’re all winners!] have received the contact information of strangers with whom they share tentative connections – like a mutual friend, or an interest in dogs wearing hats.
Although no present harm has come from the bug, Facebook were still sad and embarrassed enough to issue a public apology promising to work doubly hard to prevent a breach of your trust from ever happening again, again. Because your trust [fund] is “the most important asset” they have.
They’re also currently in the process of emailing users affected by the bug; so check your inbox, then check your friend requests.
Because a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet who already knows all your contact details by heart.
via Facebook
Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty
