Facebook Bug Could Give Spammers Names and Photos

Hampton : VA : USA | Aug 12, 2010 at 4:53 AM PDT

By clasher21254

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At the current moment, facebook is rushing to fix a bug that can be used by spammers to harvest the names and photos of other members.

This is how the bug works:

When logging into facebook, if you put in the wrong password, a 'reenter your password screen pops up-with the users full name and photo.

Ths feature is meant to help those understand if they have mistyped their e-mail address, but can be used by other users for otherwise vital information.

"A spammer with an e-mail list could write a script that enters the e-mail addresses into Facebook and then logs the real names. This could help make a phishing more realistic, said Atul Agarwal, the researcher who posted a note about the issue (along with a sample script that could harvest names) to the Full Disclosure mailing list on Tuesday."

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- In this August 27, 2009 file photo, the social networking site Facebook login webpage is seen on a computer screen in Ottawa, Can. A German data protection official said Wednesday, July 7, 2010, he launched legal proceedings against Facebook, which he accused of illegally accessing and saving personal data of people who don't use the social networking site. (AP Photo.The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld, file) | EU Germany Facebook

clasher21254 is based in Hampton, Virginia, United States of America, and is a Stringer for Allvoices.

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- In this August 27, 2009 file ...

- In this August 27, 2009 file ...

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- In this August 27, 2009 file photo, the social networking site Facebook ...