The latest Facebook hacking scandal

Trust in Facebook is already low. The Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal earlier in the year knocked consumer confidence in the site; and now, another data breach affecting 50 million customers could further damage the company’s reputation. Facebook reported last week that an attack on its network has put the data of tens of millions of customers at risk.

According to two of Facebook’s employees, who remain anonymous as they aren’t allowed to discuss the matter publicly, the three flaws in the Facebook system software allowed hackers to access accounts. Among the accounts hacked were the company’s executives, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Hackers were then able to access other apps including Spotify and Instagram.

The breach was the largest in Facebook’s history. It’s believed that attackers used one of Facebook’s features to gain access to accounts, and then to take control of them. By exploiting this feature on Facebook’s site, confidence in the site has dropped even more, when it was already low following other scandals and reports. Many users fear that the Cambridge Analytica Scandal affected the results of major elections in a number of countries.

In addition to this, senior executives, and Mark Zuckerberg, have had to attend hearings in front of congress. Some lawmakers have even suggested that government intervention might be needed if Facebook is unable to gain better control over its online service. After this, which is yet another data scandal, regulators and lawmakers have suggested they might need to renew calls for more oversight.

One of Facebook’s most vocal critics in Congress, Senator Mark Warner, commented in a statement: “This is another sobering indicator that Congress needs to step up and take action to protect the privacy and security of social media users. A full investigation should be swiftly conducted and made public so that we can understand more about what happened.”