Even Facebook board members are not immune to phishing attacks. On Saturday, Jim Breyer of Accel Partners became the latest victim when his account was used to send a spam message to more than 2,300 friends.
The message in question (see below) came in the form of an event invitation reading, “Would You Like a Facebook Phone Number?” and included an RSVP link.
The phishing scam prompted individuals who clicked on the faulty link to enter their login credentials, which then caused their accounts to be hacked in the same manner.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the hack to PEHub. “This was a phishing scam and Jim’s account appears to have been compromised … The issue has since been resolved and we’re actively trying to block this activity.”
Breyer’s compromised Facebook account is another blemish on the company’s muddied reputation concerning user privacy and safety. There’s currently a swell of negative Facebook sentiment concerning the opt-in settings of Instant Personalization. In addition, Facebook recently had to disable chat following a privacy blunder that exposed users’ live Facebook chat sessions.
Still the majority of Facebook’s more than 400 million members — many of whom are not all that concerned with their privacy — won’t restrict their status update behavior following the hack. But it’s certainly an embarrassing moment for the company, and one that does highlight the fallibility of the world’s most popular social network.
