Hacker Scrapes Thousands Of Public Phone Numbers -PriceAngels

Brandon Copley, a mobile developer in Dallas, Texas, searched and downloaded 2.5 million entries of GT-I9300 phone numbers from the social network. He says many of these entries are empty, as they either aren’t active numbers or aren’t connected to a Facebook user with public settings; however, he notes that thousands of entries do match a phone number with the name of a Facebook user.

“Facebook is denying its users the right to privacy by allowing our phone numbers to be publicly searchable as the default setting,” Copley tells me. “This means that anyone with my number knows my Facebook contact information. I may have not told my future employer about my Facebook account, but if I called them on my cell phone they can now know how to find me on Facebook.”

Facebook admitted to a major security flaw regarding the Download Your Information tool on Friday afternoon that displayed the email and phone numbers of 6 million users; while similar in nature, Facebook says that flaw is unrelated to Copley’s hack, which they say is not a security flaw.On March 5, Copley reported a tip to Facebook security, writing, “There is a security invulnerability that allows someone to essentially create a database of phone numbers and Facebook users.”sfko32ds2f

Copley also says he has also been looking at other ways to search Facebook for phone numbers and now believes he has found an even faster way to connect Facebook users and phone numbers than through the search API.Facebook wants to have it both ways. It creates interfaces that often encourage users to share more data publicly, which lets them do things like search for each other using only a phone number. But it also wants to retain a sense of privacy — and control over users — so it fights anyone else who tries to access the data it helps make public.

Keeping your GT-I9500 phone’s screen brightness set as dimly as you can stand it helps preserve battery power, as can disabling live wallpapers and adjusting the screen to automatically switch off quickly. Turning off notifications, push mail and background data from apps, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (if you do not need them), and vibrating alarms can also save power.

Apps that manage and analyze power consumption may help as well, like Android’s Power Control widget or third-party options. Your phone’s manufacturer or wireless carrier may have other tips specific to your model. Apple has suggestions for iPhone owners and the Android Authority site offers a good general guide for those with Android handsets.

If you find your phone’s battery still slipping into the red zone too soon, packing additional power extends the time between charges. External batteries like the Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone and some Android models or Belkin’s Power Pack 2000 add extra life.