Sensitive Data Of 1 Million+ Facebook Users Stolen By Malicious Apps; Facebook Admits This Security Breach

In a recent blog post, the tech giant Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, has informed that it discovered more than 400 malicious apps on AppStore and PlayStore that are misleading users into getting hold of credentials by making them log into these apps through their Facebook IDs.

Here’s everything you need to know about this development.

Facebook Warns of Multiple Fake Apps

Counterfeiting user information through fake applications is not a new thing. 

In a blog post last week, the US based tech giant and the social networking place Facebook (Meta Platforms) brought it to users’ attention that it discovered more than 400 applications that reportedly got hold of user login information and credentials through deceit.

The tech major said that such apps must have affected and comprised about 1,000,000 user accounts of Facebook by disguising as decent applications that allow users to sign-up and login through their respective Facebook accounts.

The company has stated that it has informed its peers at tech giants Apple and Google to remove such applications from their online stores AppStore and PlayStore, respectively. 

“We’ve reported these malicious apps to our peers at Apple and Google and they have been taken down from both app stores prior to this report’s publication,” said Meta.

Important Pointers on Such Malicious Apps

According to Meta’s report, it was found that such malicious applications take the guise of photo editors, voice changers, SEO optimisers, business suite tools, VPN apps, fitness aids, and games applications.

Over 40% of such malicious applications identified by Meta, 42.6% to be exact, were found out to be photo editor apps.

‘Users and security experts have questioned how the malicious apps were listed on regulated platforms like the Google and Apple app stores,’ stated a Hindu report.

The US tech giant got in touch with users whose accounts were compromised by such applications, and have warned users to be careful in future.