Live data from Hacker News

Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

forum.bodybuilding.com

51–60 of 143 posts

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#52
post #17

This isn't even a security hole, it's a complete security disaster. Did they even think through the process for five minutes before they built that? I mean, there aren't even any hacks involved. Nice find.

> there aren't even any hacks involved I doubt law enforcement would see it that way. Downloading photos with this method is not much different than guessing somebody's email or voicemail password; you're accessing something you're not supposed to. See 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2)(C) and § 2701.

This is probably closer to guessing someone's phone number than their password.

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#53
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm downvoting you for saying I think it's a stretch to call this a mistake If it wasn't on purpose, it was a mistake. Period. It might be inexcusable, as you later pointed out, but it was still unintentional. Everyone likes to hate on Facebook. If this was a YC startup, I suspect people would be more forgiving.

That's true, if it was a group of three young people starting a new business, I would be more forgiving than about a multi billion dollar corporation with hundreds of engineers and millions in resources. It was a mistake, but another word for a mistake is 'negligence'. The fact that something like this can happen illustrates systemic shortcomings at the company. Millions of people are depending on them to enforce the…

"Another word for a mistake is 'negligence'"

No it isn't.

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#54
post #51

someone [1] pulled this trick on Zuck's account [2] 1. http://twitter.com/#!/flyosity/status/144065873743839233 2. http://imgur.com/a/PrLrB

One of the images is of the last paragraph of the FTC page about Facebook where readers are invited to Like the FTC on Facebook. Background: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3291909

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there aren't even any hacks involved I doubt law enforcement would see it that way. Downloading photos with this method is not much different than guessing somebody's email or voicemail password; you're accessing something you're not supposed to. See 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2)(C) and § 2701.

This is probably closer to guessing someone's phone number than their password.

I wouldn't bet jail time that a judge sees it that way.

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#56
post #51

someone [1] pulled this trick on Zuck's account [2] 1. http://twitter.com/#!/flyosity/status/144065873743839233 2. http://imgur.com/a/PrLrB

hold your horses; the tweet is 48 minutes ago where as robertjordan has a comment on this very page with a timestamp of 4 hrs ago at this moment.

edit: imgur album was also created 4 hrs ago

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#58

Funny how something like this is originally posted on a body building forum. I think the first reports of the recent Penn State scandal were posted there too (around a year ago.) Who would have thought that's where you'd first find such things?

This was posted in Misc. Misc has nothing to do with bodybuilding, it just happens to be part of a bodybuilding forum.

As pud mentioned, they're basically /b/tards.

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#59
post #34
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a stretch to call this "just" a mistake. First of all, there isn't any malicious code that has to be run to execute it, it's a simple as clicking a few buttons in the UI. Secondly, Facebook is a site with hundreds of millions of users managing billions of private photos. With the amount of revenue & number of developers they have, it's inexcusable that they can't think through a simple process like this…

I'm downvoting you for saying I think it's a stretch to call this a mistake If it wasn't on purpose, it was a mistake. Period. It might be inexcusable, as you later pointed out, but it was still unintentional. Everyone likes to hate on Facebook. If this was a YC startup, I suspect people would be more forgiving.

aammm... you omited the word 'just' which archio stressed. Sure, if you take away THE important word of a sentence, then you might as well downvote it.

'a mistake' puts this at the same level of seriousness as other problems. This is at least a big mistake.

Re: Facebook security hole allows viewing of private photos

#60
post #43

If that doesn't prove that FB's developers aren't thinking about security, I don't know what would. Nobody who is in a culture of protecting security would even consider building this.

That's why their philosophy is 'Move fast and break stuff'. The alternative might be a slow moving bureaucracy that never iterates new features.

"Move fast and break stuff" is a philosophy that is simply not compatible with "Your privacy is very important to us" (http://www.facebook.com/legal/terms) and "We take safety issues very seriously, especially with children" (http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/minors).
Post reply on HN