A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online • Hacker News Board

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#111

Post by bertil » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 5:25 AM UTC

ineedasername wrote: post #78

elorant wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not the only reason. They also allow advertisers to target based on specific phone numbers. It's one of the creepiest features, along with targeting based on e-mail.

What's targeting by specific phone numbers? Area code as a proxy for geo location, or something more sophisticated?

OC is likely referring to Custom Audiences. Facebook let you hash a list of emails or phone number, share it with them, so they can compare with their own. It allows businesses to target their customers or prospects separately.

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#112

Post by bee-boop-19 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 5:40 AM UTC

There real catch with this is how all this information was public for so long. The average user still doesn't understand that they posted their PII to a searchable database, and ultimately the ramifications of doing so. Even now, yes FB has restricted phone numbers, but a simple bot friending ppl on FB, which many users would blidnly accept requests from, would once again reveal all this data

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#113

Post by dehrmann » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 5:44 AM UTC

sleavey wrote: post #25

Heads up: when Facebook asks you to give them your phone number to "prevent you getting locked out of your account", they really just want it so they can identify your other profiles in datasets they've bought/own (e.g. WhatsApp). If you've ever given the service your number, you should consider your real identity linked to it.

For iOS, it seems easier to just make Facebook and WhatsApp use the same app group.

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#114

Post by _puk » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 5:44 AM UTC

52-6F-62 wrote: post #56

compiler-guy wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people change their phone numbers more than once a decade? How many people change their facebook accounts ever? The age of this data may be "old" by whatever definition Facebook is using, but it is still of great interest to identity thieves and ne'er-do-wells.

Yep. As far as I’m accustomed most people do whatever they can to maintain their phone numbers even across services. So much so that it’s law in Canada a provider can’t lock in your number and must let you take it with you to another provider.

In the UK it's as easy as sending a text [0] to get your number ported to a new carrier. Carriers must oblige.

0: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-rele...

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#115

Post by jonny_eh » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 5:50 AM UTC

_puk wrote: post #114

52-6F-62 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. As far as I’m accustomed most people do whatever they can to maintain their phone numbers even across services. So much so that it’s law in Canada a provider can’t lock in your number and must let you take it with you to another provider.

In the UK it's as easy as sending a text [0] to get your number ported to a new carrier. Carriers must oblige. 0: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-rele...

Does that make it easy to steal phone numbers, and therefore identities?

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#116

Post by Lewton » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 6:21 AM UTC

nano81 wrote: post #82

sapski wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the latter, see https://gizmodo.com/facebook-is-giving-advertisers-access-to...

Not true, you could only search for accounts using phone numbers people had entered themselves

But your phone number would still be in facebooks database...

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#117

Post by onion2k » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 6:22 AM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #115

_puk wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK it's as easy as sending a text [0] to get your number ported to a new carrier. Carriers must oblige. 0: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-rele...

Does that make it easy to steal phone numbers, and therefore identities?

Based on the fact that never seems to happen, no.

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#118

Post by willvarfar » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 6:30 AM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #115

_puk wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK it's as easy as sending a text [0] to get your number ported to a new carrier. Carriers must oblige. 0: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-rele...

Does that make it easy to steal phone numbers, and therefore identities?

The handset initiates it by sending an SMS to a shortcode.

Shortcodes are phonenumbers that are carrier-specific e.g. the three digit code that you use to access your voicemail etc.

The phone company knows the identity of the calling handset when it gets the text message with a high degree of certainty, as the handset is directly connected to its network.

So the person doing the transfer has to be in procession of the phone, or able to spoof or clone the phone.

Trivia: an attacker who redirects phonenumbers to gain access to a bank account https://williamedwardscoder.tumblr.com/post/24949768311/i-kn...

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#119

Post by nano81 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 6:39 AM UTC

Lewton wrote: post #116

nano81 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true, you could only search for accounts using phone numbers people had entered themselves

But your phone number would still be in facebooks database...

This article is not about facebook’s database it’s about phone numbers scraped through search which ended up in a third party database

Re: A database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online

#120

Post by viraptor » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 6:40 AM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #117

jonny_eh wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does that make it easy to steal phone numbers, and therefore identities?

Based on the fact that never seems to happen, no.

What do you mean never? It has a name and is pretty common in Bitcoin exchange fraud: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_swap_scam