Meta has recently addressed a significant vulnerability that could have resulted in the compromise of any Facebook account. Discovered by cybersecurity researcher Samip Aryal, the flaw pertained to Facebook’s password reset process, specifically targeting the transmission of a six-digit authorization code to confirm a user’s identity. Aryal highlighted that this code lacked brute-force protection and remained active for approximately two hours, providing attackers with a window of opportunity to exploit the vulnerability.
The exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to targeted Facebook accounts, enabling attackers to reset passwords or directly log into the compromised accounts. Moreover, Aryal’s analysis revealed that the exploit could be executed using readily available pentesting tools such as Burp Suite, making the attack method accessible to malicious actors. Notably, when exploited, affected users received notifications from Facebook, either displaying the six-digit code directly or prompting them to tap the notification to view it, potentially turning the exploit into a one-click attack.
Following the responsible disclosure of the vulnerability to Meta, the social media company promptly patched the issue within a few days of Aryal’s report. Despite Aryal’s efforts leading to the mitigation of the vulnerability, the exact bounty reward from Meta remains undisclosed. While Meta’s payout guidelines suggest potential rewards ranging from $5,000 to $130,000 for account takeover exploits, the severity of this flaw, classified as a zero-click exploit, hints at the substantial impact it could have had on user security and the platform’s overall integrity.
