Hackers Are Posting Sexual Videos on Facebook-Outdated!
Summary of eRumor:
Warnings that Facebook hackers are are posting sexual videos have gone viral.
The Truth:
There have been lots of true reports of Facebook hackers posting sexual videos and pornography on profile pages over the years.
One version warns that Facebook hackers are posting nude photos and sexual videos of Facebook users themselves. Another warns that Facebook hackers are posting pornography ads on hacked accounts.
Both versions are true, but they date back to 2011. Hacking is always a threat on Facebook, but this particular warning appears to be outdated.
In 2011, a Florida man hacked the email accounts of 19 women, stole nude and semi-nude photos of them, and then posted the photos as the victims’ profile pictures.
The hacker, Joseph Bernard Campbell, knew the women, and he told police wanted to “harass the victims and cause them emotional distress.” Since Campbell knew all his victims, this specific case didn’t pose a widespread security threat.
There have also been many accounts of pornography ads being posted on Facebook users’ accounts without permission. This could be the work of hackers, but it’s more likely the result of a rogue app, according to a Facebook forum:
It is unlikely that your account was hacked. You probably clicked on a rogue app link. A lot of times things that are designed to make you want to click them end up installing an app on your Facebook account that will send out stuff. You may have clicked on something similar to what you’re sending out, or a link that has some story that tells you part and then says “…and you won’t believe what happened next” or “…and you won’t believe what this father did to his own child!” or a page that promises to enter you in some contest or let you purchase something too good to be true “So and so has to give away these 500 iPads because their boxes aren’t sealed!”… Always be careful in the future what you click on.
These older warnings about Facebook hackers went viral in July 2015 after more than 700 Australian women had nude or semi-nude photos of themselves stolen from their email accounts. The photos were posted on websites in Australia and the U.S. — but they were not posted on Facebook, the Brisbane Times reports:
The latest batch of nudes was shared on a forum under the banner “Brisbane girls” on Friday, linking through to a New Zealand-based online storage service with hundreds of pictures available to browse and download.
Each folder of women from “Brisbane and surrounding areas” named the woman whose nude pictures were supposedly available and in many cases even listed the area she lived in.
The images ranged from risque to completely naked shots, with some only showing the woman’s body and others clearly identifying her face. Forum users reacted with glee to the release of the images, with one even going so far as to label the uploader an “icon”. Another user said he was planning to set up a website dedicated to “nudes likes this”.
So, hacking is always a threat, but there didn’t appear to be an immediate threat of Facebook hackers posting pornography when the eRumor went viral, so we’re calling this one “outdated.”
But if your Facebook account is ever hacked, click here to report it to Facebook.
Also, click here to learn how to make your account more secure and prevent hackers from accessing it.