Facebook personal info breach

Facebook has inadvertently exposed members to the threat of identity theft.

Earlier this week the full dates of birth of many of Facebook's 80 million active users were visible to others, even if the individual member had requested that the information remained confidential.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, explained the fault occurred during beta testing of a new design for members' profiles.

"I was shocked to see people's full date of birth revealed, even though I knew they had their privacy set up correctly to supposedly hide the information," he said.

"It's essential that users of social networks should have confidence that their privacy will be protected - and it's especially important with information like your date of birth, which can be a golden nugget for a committed identity thief."



Credit reference agency Equifax is now warning Facebook users that access to the date of birth of millions of users is "a golden opportunity for fraudsters".

Neil Munroe at Equifax said: "It’s terrifying how little information fraudsters need to be able to open accounts in an individual’s name, rack up huge debts and leave the victim, at best to spend hundreds of hours sorting out the problem and at worse, picking up the bill.

“Despite worrying lapses in security, people still don’t seem to realise how valuable their information is."

A recent Equifax survey shows that of those using social networking sites, 21 per cent do not use the privacy setting at all, 87 per cent have their full name and 38 per cent their date of birth on their profile.

Furthermore, 27 per cent place their education history online and 26 per cent do the same with their work history.

“Social networkers need to think really carefully about what information they put on these sites," Mr Munroe said.

"Ongoing monitoring of their bank and credit information will help them spot fraudulent activity sooner rather than later. Social networking sites do have privacy settings, but many people still don’t use them.

"We advise users to put only the most basic of personal details on these sorts of sites, making it harder for ID fraudsters."

Personal info tips for Using Social Network Sites:

• Don’t include common verification such as your date of birth or your mothers maiden name
• Set up privacy on your profile so only close friends can view your information
• 
  If you are going on holiday or you will be left in your home alone, don’t put it on your site. This could leave you vulnerable to break ins
• Potential partners and employers are often searching names on these sites. Don’t put anything on your site which could ruin your chances of a new job or boyfriend/girlfriend
• Be wary of anyone you meet on these sites. The photo may be deceptive and they may have different intentions.