Facebook Says Malicious Browser Extension To Blame For Hackers Compromising Profile Data
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Facebook is investigating after a report stating Russian hackers compromised private messages from 81,000 accounts.
The BBC News reports that cyber criminals in Russia are offering to sell 81,000 Facebook profiles after possibly hacking 120 million accounts.
Facebook claims its security has not been compromised.
Facebook sources tell Eyewitness News their investigation discovered the data could have been retrieved by a malicious browser extension.
The hackers were reportedly offering to sell access for 10 cents per account.
Facebook contacted local authorities and the website has been taken offline. They say they will continue to alert local authorities if the browser appears again.
Facebook's investigation results doesn't show 120 million accounts were compromised.
The malicious browser extension heavily impacted Central and Eastern Europe and had minimal effect on people in the United States.
Browser extensions can be installed off Facebook through the stores provided by browser makers and can access broad information about people's web activity across the services they use.
Facebook encourages people to be mindful of what browser extensions they install and not to download software from untrusted sources.
If you have any questions regarding browser extensions on your Facebook profile, visit the Facebook "Help" page.
