NEWS 1.2 Billion Facebook Profiles Served on a Silver Platter to Hackers. Meta Acts Like Everything’s Fine

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1.2 Billion Facebook Profiles Served on a Silver Platter to Hackers. Meta Acts Like Everything’s Fine​

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The platform is cracking at the seams again—names, phone numbers, locations, and bios have been leaked. And it’s all because of an API.

A massive privacy breach has hit Meta’s social networks: unknown hackers claim to have obtained personal data from 1.2 billion Facebook users. The enormous trove of stolen information appeared on a specialized forum where compromised databases are traded.

The cybercriminals emphasized the uniqueness of the data, dismissing suggestions that it was just a rehash of old leaks. To gain unauthorized access, the attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook’s Application Programming Interface (API), allowing them to automate large-scale data scraping.

Meta’s response was noticeably terse. Officials sent Cybernews a brief statement, linking to a four-year-old article about anti-scraping measures. A company spokesperson claimed such incidents had been seen before and that necessary safeguards were already in place.

Experts Confirm the Leak Is Real​

Cybernews experts analyzed a sample of 100,000 records from the leaked Facebook database. Their investigation confirmed the data’s authenticity, which includes:

• Personal IDs
• Real names
• Email addresses
• Aliases
• Phone numbers
• Geolocation data
• Biographical info
• Gender details

However, analysts urge caution regarding the claimed scale of the breach. Notably, this is the second announcement from the hacking group—their first post contained a much smaller dataset, suggesting they may be gradually expanding their stolen data pool.

Reputation Crisis for Meta​

If verified, this leak could devastate Facebook’s reputation. Security researchers warn of a dangerous trend: instead of proactively protecting user data, Meta seems to react only after breaches occur.

This vast collection of personal details gives criminals powerful tools for automated attacks, including:

• Large-scale botnet operations
• Hyper-targeted phishing campaigns (posing as Facebook)
• Identity theft and fraud

API Abuse—A Growing Threat​

This year, API exploits have surged, hitting platforms like Shopify, GoDaddy, Wix, and OpenAI. Financially motivated hackers use similar tactics to steal crypto assets.

While APIs are essential for modern digital platforms, cybercriminals keep finding sophisticated ways to abuse them, extracting far more data than developers intended.

Meta’s Double Standard?​

Ironically, Meta itself collects vast amounts of public data from Facebook and Instagram—officially admitting it uses this information to train its AI assistant.

History Repeats Itself​

In 2021, Facebook suffered a similar breach, exposing phone numbers and locations of 500+ million users. The fallout was severe—Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta €265 million.

Now, with 1.2 billion profiles potentially exposed, the question is: Will regulators finally force Meta to take privacy seriously?