Old Facebook hack available for free Over 1.5 million Swiss cell phone numbers on the darknet - are you affected too?
A list of over 1.5 million Swiss cell phone numbers is circulating on the Darknet. blue News reveals whether your number is included.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A list of over 1.5 million Swiss cell phone numbers has once again appeared on the Darknet.
- The data was stolen in previous leaks from Facebook and WhatsApp and also contains names, place of residence and employers.
- Criminals are using the information for fraud - those affected should be careful.
A list of over 1.5 million Swiss cell phone numbers is currently being offered on the darknet - a hidden part of the internet.
The list contains not only the cell phone number, but often also the name, place of residence, employer or even the e-mail address. Such data is misused by criminals - for example for fraud attempts, love traps or identity theft.
In the past, such data lists were expensive and only available through contacts in the hacker scene or dubious data dealers. Today, all you need is a special browser and the knowledge of where to look - and you can download it for free.
Facebook revealed data on request
The data probably originated from two major security breaches at Facebook and WhatsApp. In the first incident, in 2021, over 1.6 million Swiss Facebook profiles were made public - including name, place of residence, employer and, in some cases, date of birth or email address.
In the second case, unknown persons published around 1.5 million Swiss WhatsApp numbers that they had previously collected automatically. In both cases, attackers used technical vulnerabilities to systematically access the information.
A random sample of 80 numbers by blue News shows that much of the published data is still correct and up-to-date.
Particularly tricky: The list also includes numbers of current or former federal councillors and other celebrities such as footballers and musicians.
An additional problem: unlike email addresses or passwords, many people rarely change their cell phone number. Once in circulation, this data often remains online for years - and therefore in the hands of fraudsters.
The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) warned as early as 2022 that the risk of such leaks is high - and the consequences can be felt in the long term. He advises caution with chat messages from unknown senders. When transferring money, you should also always check who the message really came from - if in doubt, make a direct call.