Facebook founder Zuckerberg's fan page hacked

Facebook

Facebook on Wednesday said a software "bug" let a hacker impersonate the social network's founder Mark Zuckerberg in a comment posted to his public fan page at the website.

The bogus update posted late Monday suggested that Facebook turn to its users instead of banks for money and got "liked" by more than 1,800 members of the social network before it was erased.

"A bug enabled status postings by unauthorized people on a handful of public pages," a Facebook spokesperson said in an email reply to an AFP inquiry. "The bug has been fixed."

Pictures of the hacked page could be found at technology news blog TechCrunch and other online venues.

The message, complete with typos, left on the page read:

"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? Why not transform Facebook into a 'social business' the way Nobel Price winner Muhammad Yunus described it? bit.ly/fs6rT3 What do you think?"

It was signed "#hackercup2011," an apparent reference to an international computer programming competition being held by .

The link directed users to a page about social business.

Yunus was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for helping people break out of poverty with the help of micro-loans.

(c) 2011 AFP

Citation: Facebook founder Zuckerberg's fan page hacked (2011, January 26) retrieved 22 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2011-01-facebook-founder-zuckerberg-fan-page.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Facebook launches Web page devoted to online safety

0 shares

Feedback to editors