Facebook bug exposed up to 6.8M users' unposted photos to apps

Facebook bug has exposed the photos of almost 7 million users, including images that had not been shared on the social network. Тhe bug in its photo API affected a 12 day window between Sept. 13 and Sept. 25 and gave access to up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers.

But while these apps are only supposed to have access to photos that users have posted on their Facebook timeline, the company said the bug had exposed a greater range of photos. This included those that were uploaded but not posted, but also those that had been posted on Stories - a Facebook feature in which photos disappear after 24 hours - and those on its Marketplace shopping service.

"For example, if someone uploads a photo to Facebook but doesn't finish posting it — maybe because they've lost reception or walked into a meeting — we store a copy of that photo so the person has it when they come back to the app to complete their post," Facebook said in its statement.

The company said the bug did not affect photos that were shared in Messenger conversations and that Facebook became aware of the bug and fixed it on Sept. 25.

The problem is the latest in a string of security and privacy issues that have caused complaints from users and led to investigations by regulators and lawmakers. The issues include the massive Cambridge Analytica scandal and a security breach that affected nearly 30 million users.

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