Facebook CEO's Fan Page Attacked by Hackers

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's fan page has reportedly been hacked. Recently, a message appeared online the fan page, stating: "Let the hacking begin: If facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn't Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way?"

The social networking site has since removed all unauthorized posts from Zuckerberg's fan page.

Facebook Hack Embarrassing, Concerning

So, how is it that what should have been the most secure of all Facebook fan pages was easily cracked by a hacker? Sophos senior consultant Graham Cluley says it's hard to tell, but no doubt embarrassing for Zuckerberg and Facebook alike.

"It's not clear if he was careless with his password, was phished, or sat down in a Starbucks and got sidejacked while using an unencrypted wireless network, but however it happened, it's left egg on his face just when Facebook wants to reassure users that it takes security and privacy seriously." (Source: informationweek.com)

In all likelihood, it was someone around Zuckerberg who made a mistake, not the famous CEO himself.

"Celebrity social networking pages are often managed by a whole team of marketing minions," noted Cluley, adding "When you have millions of Facebook friends or Twitter followers, keeping up with the pace of your online social interactions generally gets beyond the capacity of a single person."

Facebook, and Sites Like it, Inherently Flawed

The Zuckerberg attack raises old concerns about the vulnerability of web sites that use a login and password over HTTP connection. It's been shown that breaking into accounts using this flawed protection scheme is not particularly difficult for hackers, who can use malicious software to easily soak up login information. (Source: computerworld.com)

This is especially easy when a user has not updated their web browser in a while. Facebook users are encouraged to use a complex password and to regularly apply browser security updates.