WIREDGOV

An official statement from the National Cyber Security Centre after Facebook announced a security issue affecting almost 50 million accounts.

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre recently said:

“We are investigating how this incident has affected people in the UK and advise on appropriate mitigation measures. Users should read the latest advice Facebook has published.

“Based on current information, we understand that Facebook have fixed the flaw and temporarily disabled the ‘view as’ function.

“There is no evidence that people have to take action such as changing their passwords or deleting their profiles.

“However, users should be particularly vigilant to possible phishing attacks, as if data has been accessed it could be used to make scam messages more credible.”

Further information

Who to report concerns to

• If a member of the public thinks they have been a victim of cyber crime or cyber-enabled fraud, they should contact Action Fraud. If you have been told that your personal details, such as your password, may have been accessed, you should ensure those details are not used on any other accounts.

NCSC advice on phishing emails

• Fraudsters can use data to make their phishing messages look much more credible, including using real names and statements such as: 'To show this is not a phishing email, we have included the month of your birth and the last 3 digits of your phone number'.
• These phishing messages may not relate to the organisation that has been breached, and may use more well-known brands. The NCSC has guidance on protecting yourself from phishing.
• Usually, if you are the target of a phishing message, your real name will not be used. However, if fraudsters do have your name, people will need to be extra vigilant around any message that purports to be from an organisation they deal with - especially when there are attachments or links which take people to sites asking for more personal information.
• If members of the public think they have been a victim of online crime, they can report a cyber incident using Action Fraud’s online fraud reporting tool any time of the day or night, or call 0300 123 2040. For further information visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.

NCSC advice on phone calls

• If you do receive a phone call that is suspicious - for example, one that asks you for security information - do not divulge any information, and hang up.
• Pick up the phone and make sure there is a dial tone to ensure the caller is not still on the line.
• Contact the organisation that the caller claimed to be from – never using the details they provided during the call.

About the NCSC

• The UK Government is fully committed to defending against digital threats and set up the NCSC last year through the five-year National Cyber Security Strategy, supported through £1.9 billion transformative investment.
• The NCSC works in a transparent manner and relies on good relationships with industry and government partners. In its first year, the NCSC managed 590 significant cyber incidents across the UK and is preventing tens of millions of attacks every week through pioneering Active Cyber Defence measures.