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

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

#91

Post by lysp » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:15 AM UTC

paws wrote: post #45

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.

> If you've ever given the service your number, you should consider your real identity linked to it. I have a feeling it's worse than that. (I haven't rigorously perused the ToS, if I'm wrong please lmk.) Let's say your friend John has an iPhone and saves your name and # in their contacts. One day John installs the Facebook app & opens it. John is not technical and when the app requests permissions he taps 'Allow'. A…

I've also definitely received "friend" suggestions for business contacts who I've had a phone number/email address stored in my phone.

There are no mutual friends or any other link it could make apart from linking my contact list with their number.

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

#92

Post by cortesoft » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:22 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.

Same in the US

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

#93

Post by lioeters » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:22 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #86

bifrost wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google only really does http/https, finding mongodb requires scanning for 27019 and then pointing a client at it. I believe Shodan does this.

It also indexes ftp, but that may unfortunately be coming to an end[1]. Ironically enough, Google's mission statement is still "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful", which if taken to its logical conclusion would mean such humorously delightful things as scanning for mongos and indexing their contents too... [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20721609

> to organize the world's information

..including any private data they can gather on you, via search, maps, analytics, browser..

I wouldn't put it past Google to be already indexing exposed databases (or continue indexing ftp), just not making it publicly available.

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

#94

Post by lioeters » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:25 AM UTC

oriettaxx wrote: post #87

jefftk wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like this was scraped before the GDPR went into effect.

in https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/fb-3-2.jpg I see "update 2019-8-28", updated from where?

From the article:

> ..The data appeared to be loaded into the exposed database at the end of last month — though that doesn’t necessarily mean the data is new.

EDIT: Oh, you were asking "from where". I'd be curious to know the source of this database too, since it's probably just one of countless copies circulating..

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

#95

Post by ieoeo9 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:34 AM UTC

They have these already, it’s called a Yellow Pages.

It was opt out for a fee.

They shipped internationally. Anyone in the world could get your phone number and it was nigh untraceable!

The world did not end because of it.

I’d take the freak outs online seriously if anyone seemed to realize they’ve been “compromised” or easily could have been for years. Much more easily in fact, with less paper trail.

Increased awareness by the general public is not indicative of increased threat.

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

#96

Post by hollerith » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:36 AM UTC

ieoeo9 wrote: post #95

They have these already, it’s called a Yellow Pages. It was opt out for a fee. They shipped internationally. Anyone in the world could get your phone number and it was nigh untraceable! The world did not end because of it. I’d take the freak outs online seriously if anyone seemed to realize they’ve been “compromised” or easily could have been for years. Much more easily in fact, with less paper trail. Increased aware…

You mean white pages :)

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

#97

Post by justinclift » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:44 AM UTC

ieoeo9 wrote: post #95

They have these already, it’s called a Yellow Pages. It was opt out for a fee. They shipped internationally. Anyone in the world could get your phone number and it was nigh untraceable! The world did not end because of it. I’d take the freak outs online seriously if anyone seemed to realize they’ve been “compromised” or easily could have been for years. Much more easily in fact, with less paper trail. Increased aware…

People could opt out of that though.

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

#98

Post by ieoeo9 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:44 AM UTC

hollerith wrote: post #96

ieoeo9 wrote: post #95

They have these already, it’s called a Yellow Pages. It was opt out for a fee. They shipped internationally. Anyone in the world could get your phone number and it was nigh untraceable! The world did not end because of it. I’d take the freak outs online seriously if anyone seemed to realize they’ve been “compromised” or easily could have been for years. Much more easily in fact, with less paper trail. Increased aware…

You mean white pages :)

At one point as a kid we were getting a single FAT combo. Maybe that was a regional thing.

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

#99

Post by amatecha » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:47 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #85

amatecha wrote: post #84

So... any way I can see if my number was in this database? Pretty funny. Years ago I very-begrudgingly verified my phone# on my FB account as my employer had me working on a FB integration... I knew I should have upheld my principles and not used my personal account.

My general rule is that the only personal resource I will use in a software job is my brain.

Oh yeah, this was a long time ago, and I have since adopted the same mentality :)

I think at the time the only way to be a Facebook Developer was to verify your identity via SMS (or something like that) and you couldn't just create a fake/pseudonymous account for development purposes. I assume that is still the case, but I have no clue.

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

#100

Post by ieoeo9 » Thu, Sep 05, 2019, 4:50 AM UTC

justinclift wrote: post #97

ieoeo9 wrote: post #95

They have these already, it’s called a Yellow Pages. It was opt out for a fee. They shipped internationally. Anyone in the world could get your phone number and it was nigh untraceable! The world did not end because of it. I’d take the freak outs online seriously if anyone seemed to realize they’ve been “compromised” or easily could have been for years. Much more easily in fact, with less paper trail. Increased aware…

People could opt out of that though.

Society can opt out of this scheme whenever it wants.

IMO that’s about what it’s going to take. We’ve seen what giving the political elites the benefit of the doubt accomplished: buried grift after grift and burn baby burn.

Same old dog n pony show until the public (ideally peacefully) organizes to rattle elite sense of stability enough to change laws as a concession for the incoming generation.

But they have all our data and already modeled how far away we are from that point ;)