Facebook Flaw Means Anyone Can See Photos

strut170222 · December 6th, 2011, 20:14

I thought this was interesting since we all thought that it wasn't possible to view private photos.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...e-your-photos/

A surprising security hole in Facebook allows almost anyone to see pictures marked as private, an online forum revealed late Monday.
Even pictures supposedly kept hidden from uninvited eyes by Facebook?s privacy controls aren?t safe, reported one user of a popular bodybuilding forum in a post entitled ?I teach you how to view private Facebook photos.?
Facebook appears to have acted quickly to eliminate the end-run around privacy controls, after word of the exploit spread across the Internet. It wasn?t long before one online miscreant uploaded private pictures of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself -- evidence that the hack worked, he said.
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A Facebook spokesman did not immediately return FoxNews.com requests for comment.
The issue stems from the site?s own reporting system, which Facebook has designed to give users power to police each other.
In this case, after a user reports another for ?nudity and pornography? in their profile picture, Facebook presents them with the further option of ?selecting additional photos to include with your report.?
If a user chooses to continue, Facebook provides them with an album of additional photos to discern. In FoxNews.com tests, this function consistently revealed private pictures, which the user can then resize and enlarge by adjusting bits of code.
Last week Facebook settled with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly exposing details about users' lives without getting legally required consent. In some cases, the FTC charged, Facebook allowed potentially sensitive details to be passed along to advertisers and software developers prowling for customers.
To avoid further legal wrangling, Facebook agreed to submit to government audits of its privacy practices every other year for the next two decades. The company committed to getting explicit approval from its users -- a process known as "opting in" -- before changing their privacy controls.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...#ixzz1fmsa9juv

December 6th, 2011, 20:14	#1
strut170222 VIP Honored Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 625 : 1 For This Post 807 Total	Facebook Flaw Means Anyone Can See Photos I thought this was interesting since we all thought that it wasn't possible to view private photos. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...e-your-photos/ A surprising security hole in Facebook allows almost anyone to see pictures marked as private, an online forum revealed late Monday. Even pictures supposedly kept hidden from uninvited eyes by Facebook?s privacy controls aren?t safe, reported one user of a popular bodybuilding forum in a post entitled ?I teach you how to view private Facebook photos.? Facebook appears to have acted quickly to eliminate the end-run around privacy controls, after word of the exploit spread across the Internet. It wasn?t long before one online miscreant uploaded private pictures of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself -- evidence that the hack worked, he said. Related Video Facebook Shuts Down Spam Attack Social networks stops hacking RELATED STORIES NYPD Officers Reportedly Called Parade Attendees 'Savages' on Facebook Facebook Prepping for Massive Hiring Spree Is Facebook Being Unfriendly to Major News Outlets? A Facebook spokesman did not immediately return FoxNews.com requests for comment. The issue stems from the site?s own reporting system, which Facebook has designed to give users power to police each other. In this case, after a user reports another for ?nudity and pornography? in their profile picture, Facebook presents them with the further option of ?selecting additional photos to include with your report.? If a user chooses to continue, Facebook provides them with an album of additional photos to discern. In FoxNews.com tests, this function consistently revealed private pictures, which the user can then resize and enlarge by adjusting bits of code. Last week Facebook settled with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly exposing details about users' lives without getting legally required consent. In some cases, the FTC charged, Facebook allowed potentially sensitive details to be passed along to advertisers and software developers prowling for customers. To avoid further legal wrangling, Facebook agreed to submit to government audits of its privacy practices every other year for the next two decades. The company committed to getting explicit approval from its users -- a process known as "opting in" -- before changing their privacy controls. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...#ixzz1fmsa9juv