200,000 Facebook Marketplace user records were leaked on the dark web

Names, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook IDs, and Facebook profile information are reportedly included in the leak.
By Cecily Mauran  on 
Facebook login page on a smartphone screen
Don't worry, there are ways to protect yourself. Credit: Getty Images

Personal data from 200,000 Facebook Marketplace users were leaked to a hacker forum. Leaked data reportedly includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook IDs, and Facebook profile information.

According to Bleeping Computer, the data was shared on a dark web forum by known leaker IntelBroker who says the data was hacked by someone who goes by "algoatson" on Discord. "In October 2023, a cyber criminal by the name of 'algoatson' on Discord, breached a contractor that manages cloud services for Facebook and stole its partial user database of 200,000 entries," said IntelBroker. The data was allegedly hacked by "algoatson" through a Meta contract worker.

Bleeping Computer was able to verify that some of the information was legitimate by cross-checking with known email addresses and phone numbers linked to Facebook Marketplace.

This isn't the first time personal information from Facebook users has been leaked. In 2021, the records of over 530 million Facebook users were leaked in an online forum. The data had been hacked in 2019, meaning personal information had been floating around the dark web for two years. As a result, Meta was fined 265 million Euros for violating the European Union's GDPR, which protects user privacy.

How to protect yourself from the Facebook Marketplace breach

If you're an avid Facebook Marketplace user like many of us, there are ways to lock up your account. Change your Facebook password and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) which adds a second layer of verification by asking for your identity on a second device. Be especially vigilant about any suspicious emails or texts related since they may be phishing attempts using your Facebook data.

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Cecily Mauran

Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on Twitter at @cecily_mauran.


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