Facebook Board Member Hacked, Friends Phished

Facebook seems to be growing less secure by the month.

Is the Facebook mammoth finally toppling over? Recent news points to a crippling stance in reputation, including a flaw that allows users to view one of their friend’s live chat window, and an analysis reporting that Facebook users are actually looking for ways to delete their account. Now a Facebook board member is coming under fire after a hacker gained access to his account and spammed friends with phishing scams.

The phishing event, a scam called FBDigits that has targeted Facebook users since April 20, took place Saturday evening and involved over 2,300 friends on Jim Breyer’s list. A message was sent from his account, asking “Would you like a Facebook phone number?” The scam claims to be an app that offers “revolutionary phone software that integrates into Facebook Chat.” It supposedly allows users to make free phone calls and text messages from within Facebook.

Naturally, that’s not the case. “This was a phishing scam and Jim’s account appears to have been compromised,” said Larry Yu, a Facebook spokesman, late Sunday. “The issue has since been resolved and we’re actively trying to block this activity.” The company also released a formal statement Monday morning, saying that Facebook needs the help of its users to combat the growing threats. But as fears of privacy and security issues grow, Facebook may find itself spiraling downhill as users flock to other social networking solutions.

“We take security very seriously and have devoted significant resources towards helping our users protect their accounts,” Facebook said. Breyer, who is a partner at Accel Partners, has not made a formal statement, nor has he answered questions regarding the breach.

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