Minami Tamaki LLP is investigating reports that Facebook suffered a data breach that compromised user profiles.  Facebook announced on September 28, 2018, that the security issue affected almost 50 million user accounts.

According to a Facebook security update, attackers exploited a vulnerability in the site’s code that impacted the “View As” feature, which allows users to view their profile as if they were someone else. The vulnerability allowed the attackers to receive access tokens which were used to take over user accounts. Access tokens are digital keys that keep people logged in to Facebook so they don’t need to re-enter their password upon every use.

Users throughout the United States may be impacted by this data breach.  On September 28, Facebook reset access tokens for affected accounts and temporarily turned off the “View As” feature.  The company also reset an additional 40 million accounts that have been subject to a “View As” look-up as a precautionary measure.

Minami Tamaki attorneys have experience representing individuals who have been harmed by privacy breaches.  For more information about this data breach and your legal rights, you may contact us online or call us at 415-788-9000 to set up a free consultation.