Unfortunately, Facebook has been breached by data hackers and over 500 million users with their personal information have been exposed. The social media giants is currently finding solutions to resolve the issue; however most of the damage is done.
For those concerned, new tools are developed on the internet to help you check if your personal information has been leaked.
The cybercriminals who have attacked Facebook are out for data theft. CNN Business reported that the hackers have a website where they post the leaked data of users' names, birthdays, email addresses, location and phone numbers. This would possibly lead to a more serious case of identity theft.
Gizmodo explained that arguably, the most sensitive data leaked are phone numbers. Facebook often uses two-factor authentication that relies heavily on your phone number. Having these phone numbers would grant the hacker verification rights to easily take over your Facebook account.
Fortunately, the internet is helping users by developing new tools to test the possibility of data breaches in your account, per Business Insider. You should also check out the article on What to Do if Your FB Account is Hacked. This will tell you how to inspect your account for signs of hacking activities and how to activate the extra security features Facebook recently added to protect user accounts.
Two new tools are added to check if you have a data leak.
The News Each Day
This is a simple tool to easily check if your phone number has been leaked. Gizmodo tested this tool on some of the data confirmed to be part of the Facebook leak, including Mark Zuckerberg's phone number. The test proved to be accurate with its results.
To use the tool, head over to the website The News Each Day and input your phone number without periods, spaces or hyphens. Use the international country code at the beginning of your phone number. Click "Check." This will automatically scan all available resources in their database if your phone number is leaked to the internet. The result will come in a single sentence under the Check button.
Read also: International Fact Checking Day 2021: 5 Tools and Google's Guide to Spot Fake News Online
Have I Been Pwned
Have I been pwned is another website that can help verify if your data is exposed in the online breach. The database is maintained by the security analyst Troy Hunt. The website cross-references your email account to the current list of breaches and even includes checking the 10 billion accounts compromised from previous breaches.
To use the tool, enter your email address to the search bar and click the "pwned?" button. If your account is clear, the page will turn light green and report "Good news - no pwnage found!." However, if your account has been leaked, you will be presented with a red screen that says "Oh no - pwned!" The website would list how many data breaches the email was found in and where it could have been basted by hackers publicly.
Both websites regularly update their database to keep track of news and data for other users' personal information. Try them out yourself to make certain if your Facebook account remains safe from data theft.
Related Article: Facebook Data Breach 2021 Exposes 500 Million Users-What to Do if Your FB Account Is Hacked
