Bangkok--3 Jul--Oasis Media
Symantec has discovered a privacy leak in Facebook's Android app that sends users' phone numbers over the Internet to Facebook servers simply by launching the app. More information is available in this Symantec blog post: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/norton-mobile-insight-discovers-facebook-privacy-leak.
Of particular note is that users' phone numbers are sent even before logging in to the app. Users also do not need to provide their phone number, initiate a specific action or even have a Facebook account for their phone number to be sent to Facebook.
Symantec has notified Facebook and they plan to provide a fix in their next Facebook for Android release. In the meantime, a significant portion of the estimated 7 million devices that have installed the Facebook application are likely affected.
Please let me know if you would like to discuss this with a Symantec expert.
About Symantec
Symantec protects the world’s information, and is the global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment — from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data center, to cloud-based systems. Our industry-leading expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at:go.symantec.com/socialmedia.