Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

Science & Technology Information Technology, Gaming, Machines, Gadgets
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http://www.blogcdn.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2010/07/tpbfacebook.png

There’s no exploitation in play here, just the wholesale harvesting and presentation of superficial data for roughly one-fifth of Facebook’s half-billion strong user-base.

Ron Bowes, of Skull Security, posted the torrent to the Pirate Bay after realizing that his pet project had become something that others might be interested in. He had basically crawled the Facebook directory, and indexed the results. What he got was a list 171 million entries long, representing 100 million unique users, their names, and their Facebook URLs. He packaged it all into a database and posted the 2.8GB file as a torrent.

It’s important to note that there isn’t any other information in the database. Shortly after word got out about the torrent, the BBC posted a story about it, and quoted a random user in the comments section as stating that it was “awesome and a little terrifying.” Honestly, the only thing terrifying about any of this is the thought of going through the Facebook directory. Seriously, I looked, and there are so many people with my name that I would never find myself.

Bowes has stated that, though there isn’t any real information aside from names and a URLs in the database, any number of contact details may be present on a user’s Facebook page – it all depends on how that user has his privacy settings set. Basically, with this database in hand, a potentially malicious user could sift through all the names and come across the user he was looking for, see that user’s Facebook landing-page (the little page with their name, picture, and a few friends) – and that’s about it.

But regardless of the harmless nature of the database, this torrent has become a big deal, because simply being in the cavernous Facebook directory is an option in itself. Now that there’s a torrent containing the most basic contact information for 100 million users, that particular privacy setting has become null for the users on that list.

So, in the end, this is just one more reminder for everybody on Facebook to check their privacy settings.

Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook - privacy settings - Uniform Resource Locator - Security - Data

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

Woah… Downloading it.

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

Aaho, put it up on some site once you have it downloaded. I wanna see if I can find myself. I wonder if there’s another TofiBaba on FB :hehe:

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

LOL why dont you download? :stuck_out_tongue:

Use peer block if you are afraid of tracking :smiley:

Although its NOT that much dangerous but partially

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Ok So I downloaded it and here is the Scr S of the folder.

Now each compressed file contains ONE text file and thats huge to open although I opened it with LTF Viewer.

Although they are just examples that FB “secured” data can be breached easily.

As these are the name list mostly! Only one file is about URL to the profiles although I have to open it as it is more than 1.2 GB of file :smiley:

@TofiBaba: Bro I really cant put it on website as just one text file with 450 mb, contains around 100,000,000 lines :smiley:

Proof:

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

AAHO - this data is public anyway right? i mean what “extra” info are you getting really? nothing?

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

^^ indeed. Although you can say this data is not like going 100 million user page and looking for the data they kept as hidden but its like all data in one file. As mostly fb users are not aware of securing their profile so much of the useful data is available too..

Just think of recycling of used paper :wink:

Although as said accessing to the facebook directories is a dangerous thing and it tells that even script kiddies can make some script and access even the “secured” profile info.

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

Aaho, you don’t “open” the text file, you convert or import than into a database or put up a php script that parses the data.

And yeah, there’s personal data that FB’ers leave open, like phone numbers and email addresses that are included in there. From 100 million user data I’m sure you’d be able to get about 20k email address atleast.

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

i dont have my real name or birthdate on my profile, no work info. plus its secure, no worries.

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

^^ 1 out of 100 million.. still a lot to go :wink:

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LOL ehm.. sure will do it :smiley:

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

I dont understand why so many ppl use that site!!!

Its unreal..

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Re: Torrented database contains public data for 100 million Facebook users

and now you will understand that almost more than 10,000 people have downloaded that database within 38 hours and still around 10,000 people are leeching it :smiley: