Data Exposed on Amazon Cloud Service: Facebook Has Messed Up Again

Data Exposed on Amazon Cloud Service: Facebook Has Messed Up Again

Facebook is in trouble again.

  • By Anas Baig
  • Apr 05, 2019

Facebook, the world's most popular social media platform, is again in trouble. The third-party Facebook app developers have uploaded the personal information of millions of Facebook users on publicly accessed cloud servers. The data which was meant to be protected was available for easier access for anyone searching the web.

This major data breach was uncovered by a cyber-security research firm UpGuard. According to the researchers of UpGuard, they have found the data of millions of Facebook users online that have been uploaded by a Mexican social media company known as Cultura Colectiva. The data included usernames, IDs, and activities of users on the platform and that too in the plain sight.

The personal data of Facebook users including their identities and personal photos were also found on another Mexico-based app, the Pool. This app was created for the sole purpose of helping people to meet with each other and is no more functional since 2014.

After the confirmation of data breach by the Mexican sites, UpGuard has sent notifications to both Cultura Colectiva as well as Amazon about the violations of data privacy. The notice was sent earlier in January but no action was taken by the said platforms after which the security team contacted Facebook on Wednesday.

As soon as Facebook was contacted about the violation, all the data on Amazon was secured instantly while the data on the Pool went offline silently. Though Facebook has taken immediate action it is still uncertain how many people have already accessed the information from cloud servers and how much of the data is used illegally.

This is not the first time Facebook is held guilty of handing over the data to third-party app developers. There were several instances in the past when Facebook data was found with various researchers and advertisers. Facebook is already under constant criticism since the 2016 election when the data of approx. 87 million Facebook users were accessed by Cambridge Analytica for Trump Election Campaign and this present major data breach by Mexico-based social media sites has further worsened the situation.

Facebook has recently revised its data protection policies and has assured that there will be no transition of users' data to any third party. They claim that they strongly prohibit the storing of Facebook data on any public platform and have taken immediate action when it came to their notice. But whether it is a mistake or intentional breach, this major data breach has made every Facebook user concerned about their data protection and social media security.

According to UpGuard, Facebook seems to be incompetent in controlling its vast network and needs to take some serious security measures for the protection of its users` data from any leakage and unauthorized use. People all over the world are curious about what will be the stance of the app developer over the situation? Whether they will be able to defend themselves? What is the future of Facebook?

About the Author

Anas Baig is a Security Journalist covers most of the Cyber Security & Tech news. He is a security professional and writer specializing in Science and Technology, with a passion for dinosaurs, archaeology, robots, cars and animals great and small.

Featured

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • 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.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.