Everything online is hackable. If your
sensitive data are on a computer connected to the internet, they are
vulnerable. Whether someone will be hacked depends on defensive technologies,
user awareness, the need and skill of the hacker and the desirability of the
data. For example, it is different if an attacker just wants credit-card
details or looking for specific data from a specific place. As social beings,
we are programmed to be socially active. In this age of digitization, we found
a way to be and stay connected to each other on the internet through social
networking platforms and apps. We give our trust to this kind of internet-based
companies and share our personal information that companies are asking from us.
Does a specific site protect our personal information well enough for the
benefits provided by that site? As far
as the safety of our data is concerned we have a feeling that big companies do
better than smaller ones, that we are well protected. The truth is that many
companies are sharing our personal data without our knowledge or consent and
that we know little about their security practices. We don’t have a clue what
sorts of security measures Facebook uses to protect our posts, conversations,
or to protect our privacy.
We are all aware
that hacks, data breaches, and other forms of cybercrime are accelerating and
that using only a password to protect our data is no longer enough. As an extra
level of security, there is two-factor authentication (2FA), a feature that
asks for something else in addition to your password, typically six-digit code,
and a lot of us are using it. If your password is stolen, the chances of
someone else having your second-factor information, and thus access to your
account, is highly unlikely.
Facebook is the
largest social networking site in the world and one of the internet-based
companies that offer 2FA, and not only that it offers but it strongly
recommends it. You are asked to add your phone number solely for the purpose of
2FA. But recently, something disturbing happened (again) that not many Facebook
users might be aware of. It seems that
Facebook has an underlying motive for pushing you to better protect your
account.
A year ago Facebook
stopped allowing people to search for profiles by phone numbers, but guess
what, it happens again – people can search for your phone number on Facebook
and associate that to your name and other information. Facebook asked you to
give your phone number to help keep your account safe from potential hackers.
But, again, people can find your profile from that phone number you give to
Facebook and they can track you down by default. Anyone with your phone number
can search for you. Default means that there’s no way to disable that and there
is nothing you can do to prevent Facebook from using your phone number in
several shady ways. All you can do is can change your preferences to
“friends” or “friends of friends”.
There is more. You
associate your phone number with your Facebook account for the purpose of 2FA
but if your number is on the contact list of someone that has allowed the
Facebook app access to his or her phone’s contacts list, Facebook will suggest
to both users to connect. This is the way that the company is using the phone
number data for the intention of a search when it was provided by users for
security purposes. That phone number that was being used for 2FA was also being
provided to advertisers for targeted posts and advertisers also linking your
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp profiles through your phone number. Facebook
2FA numbers are shared with Instagram, WhatsApp shares phone numbers with
Facebook, Facebook shares phone numbers with advertisers. Once you add your
number to FB, Instagram prompts you “is this your phone number?”
There are rumors that Mark Zuckerberg wants to
merge Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram services. Facebook’s
former chief information security officer, Alex Stamos, said in a tweet that
“FB can’t credibly require 2FA for high-risk accounts without segmenting
that from search & ads.”
And, there is another
problem. Using your phone number for two-factor authentication is open to
hacks. 2FA is an important feature that protects accounts from takeovers, but
connecting users’ phone numbers with targeted advertising and searches put
security and privacy at risk. This kind of risk is driving people away from a
useful security tool. When you try logging in, hackers can intercept text
messages containing your PIN code through methods like SIM hijacking. Instead
of using your phone number, it is better to use an authenticator app for 2FA on
the social network. Facebook is allowing authenticator apps so you don’t need
to use your phone number anymore. When you start to use the authenticator app,
don’t forget to remove your phone number from Facebook.
Facebook takes advantage of our privacy,
desire to be secure online and our trust. Is pushing to better protect our account
in the form of care for the protection of our data and us as users of the
popular giant, actually hides a completely different intention? Our
information, unwillingly, came into the hands of advertising companies. Do we
have to believe that it happened accidentally due to a reckless security
breach? Highly unlikely. Facebook pushes us to better protect our account so
that it can use our data for the purpose of earning. Everything ultimately
comes down to money. They sold us a story to serve us as a product because, in
today’s world of technology, people are a product that is valued on the market.
Well, hackers know this very well. Why are they doing it? Obviously, because
they can and we seem to have become the victims of Facebook phishing.