Facebook Stored Hundreds of Millions of Passwords Unencrypted

Facebook Stored Hundreds of Millions of Passwords Unencrypted

Facebook stored “hundreds of millions” of account passwords unencrypted and viewable as plain text to tens of thousands of company employees, KrebsonSecurity reported Thursday.

Facebook stored “hundreds of millions” of account passwords unencrypted and viewable as plain text to tens of thousands of company employees, according to a report by cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs.

The incident, which Facebook confirmed in a blog post, could have affected as many as 600 million of Facebook’s 2.7 billion users.

“To be clear, these passwords were never visible to anyone outside of Facebook and we have found no evidence to date that anyone internally abused or improperly accessed them,” VP of Engineering, Security and Privacy Pedro Canahuati said in the post.

According to Krebs’ report, the incident dates back to as early as 2012. Scott Renfo, a Facebook software engineer, said the company hasn’t found any misuse of the data and that “there was no actual risk that’s come from this.”

Facebook said Thursday it planned to start alerting affected users.

“As part of a routine security review in January, we found that some user passwords were being stored in a readable format within our internal data storage systems,” Canahuati wrote. “This caught our attention because our login systems are designed to mask passwords using techniques that make them unreadable. We have fixed these issues and as a precaution we will be notifying everyone whose passwords we have found were stored in this way.”

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • DHS Releases Framework for Safe, Secure Deployment of AI in Critical Infrastructure

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a set of recommendations for the safe and secure development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in critical infrastructure, the “Roles and Responsibilities Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Critical Infrastructure” Read Now

  • Making the Grade with Locks and Door Hardware

    Managing and maintaining locks and door hardware across a school district or university campus is a big responsibility. A building’s security needs to change over time as occupancy and use demands evolve, which can make it even more challenging. Knowing the basics of common door hardware, including locks, panic devices and door closers, can make a difference in daily operations and emergency situations. Read Now

  • Choosing the Right Solution

    Today, there is a strong shift from on-prem installations to cloud or hybrid-cloud deployments. As reported in the 2024 Genetec State of Physical Security report, 66% of end users said they will move to managing or storing more physical security in the cloud over the next two years. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Security Risks for U.S. Retail Chains

    Interface Systems, a provider of security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses, has released its 2024 State of Remote Video Monitoring in Retail Chains report. The detailed study analyzed over 2 million monitoring requests across 4,156 retail locations in the United States from September 2023 to August 2024. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings. 3

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles. 3