DENVER — Facebook announced Friday that hackers had accessed personal information from about 29 million of its users’ accounts. It was part of a larger security breach of 50 million accounts the company disclosed about two weeks ago.
The hackers accessed names, email addresses or phone numbers from the 29 million accounts, according to the Associated Press.
Thankfully, there is a way to check if your account was one of those hacked. Here’s how to do it:
- Click on the security notice. You may see an advisory titled “Update on Security Incident” at the top of your News Feed when you log in.
- Scroll down, and Facebook will tell you whether your account had been compromised.
- If your account was accessed, Facebook will list what information the hackers obtained. Not everyone had the same information stolen.
Below the notice about what information was hacked, Facebook apologizes for the security breach.
“While we don’t know if the attackers will use any of the information they accessed, it appears the information may allow them or other third parties to use it to create and spread spam on and off Facebook. We’re actively working with law enforcement as we continue to investigate,” the post reads.
Additionally, Facebook advises people to be wary of unwanted phone calls, text messages and emails. It also urged users to look out for phishing attempts.
If you are having difficulty seeing the security notice, it can be viewed here. Be sure to be logged in to your account to see whether your profile was compromised.