Facebook: The Data Of Millions Of Users Has Been Leaked

The rapid development of information technology has digitized social and professional life. As a result of this development, companies and individuals have decided to embrace the idea of being connected and entrusting their personal and professional information to digital platforms. However, the high rate of digital activity and the amount of data stored in this virtual world, on Facebook, for example, raises questions about data leakage and the privacy of personal information. This is how we noted the leak of data from 533 million users on Facebook. After critically analyzing this fact, Facebook tried to give the reasons for this incident.

The Reasons For The Data Leak Of The 533 Million Facebook Users

An information break is a security episode where malignant individuals gain unapproved admittance to their private information. This fact is due to several reasons that Facebook tried to explain to its millions of users. First, unwanted exposure to sensitive information on the Internet can be a boon for criminals.

They have the opportunity to have the easiest access to your data. Then, this malware takes advantage of vulnerabilities in authorization control systems to gain access to computer systems and the private information of companies or individuals. Data theft can also be due to negligence or error from those who own it. It can be an employee if it is a company.

Know that lawbreakers exploit all the security practices of powerless organizations to accomplish their end. They can also access confidential information through misplaced or improperly decommissioned devices. In addition, the theft of information can also be done by an external person in the case of a company by intrusion. Finally, confidential data leakage can occur by a current employee or a former employee who has access to this data.

The Consequences Of Personal Data Leakage

The consequences of leaking Facebook users’ confidential information can be two-fold. Indeed, depending on the status of the victim (individual or company), the consequences can vary widely. If the victim of this incident is an individual, the consequences may be as follows.

losing the confidentiality of his information that was once private,
lose the trust of many people,
be exposed to any danger related to the importance of the data,
losing a lot of opportunities, money, and credibility depends on the information’s nature.

Moreover, if a company is affected by data leaks, it will suffer losses in several areas.

a fall in the share price,
a decline in customers,
a loss of competitiveness,
a decline in turnover,
the company’s reputation can take a hit.

In addition, if she is not careful and reacts quickly, this incident can cause her to fall permanently, and she will also suffer sanctions. Additionally, the cost implications of restoring reputation vary from company to company. The losses also depend on the field of activity of each company. For example, if a bank is the victim of a leak, it will suffer more than a retail business. With all these consequences related to data leakage, what are the solutions to be safe or to get out of it?

IT Security & GDPR

To address the data leakage problem experienced by 533 million Facebook users, research has proven that it is possible to curb the phenomenon or get away with it. For companies, for example, managing and protecting access to personal data is strongly recommended to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This current security opportunity is intended to enhance the security of personal data.

These companies can use prevention tools such as Data Leakage and the cloud to protect data further. The first allows marking the files and giving them good confidentiality. The second, cloud Access Security Brokers, have strength in data flow analysis. It can also detect suspicious files on the cloud. In addition, there are also web application firewalls as additional tools to the solutions already proposed. They are used to counter attacks from weak applications.

Data leakage is a real phenomenon that has many serious consequences on the daily lives of Facebook users. It is, therefore, for this reason, that the American social network has tried to inform the 533 million users concerned of the causes of the problem and the measures to be taken to avoid it. It is, therefore, up to the users to put into practice the few solutions proposed to prevent this incident.