September 2018 Facebook Breach

This research is an overview of the most significant breach in Facebook’s history. The cause, consequences, and lessons learned are explored. Defenses that users of the social media company can implement to protect themselves from the effects of a future breach are presented in detail. The Facebook breach occurred just a few months after the European Union’s enactment of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The potential regulatory fines resulting from the GDPR investigation may cost the company over one billion dollars. The Facebook breach will be used for regulators within the European Union to test litigation of their first large case.

Keywords: Facebook, breach, cyber attack, open authorization, token, view as, General Data Protection Regulations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Trade Commission