Instagram Alerts High-Profile Users of Possible Hack -- Security Today

Instagram Alerts High-Profile Users of Possible Hack

The Facebook-owned social media company sent an email to high-profile users on Wednesday alerting them that a bug in its software may have allowed users’ account data to be accessed.

Sep 05, 2017

Instagram sent an email to high-profile users on Wednesday alerting them that a bug in its software may have allowed users’ account data to be accessed.

The Facebook-owned social media company said the bug has since been fixed and that no passwords were accessed, however, phone numbers and email addresses could have been vulnerable to hackers.

"We recently discovered that one or more individuals obtained unlawful access to a number of high-profile Instagram users' contact information -- specifically email address and phone number— by exploiting a bug in an Instagram API," an Instagram spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Tech.

While phone numbers and email addresses are not hyper-sensitive information, hackers may use them to send the user phishing emails or texts to steal credentials and login to their accounts. Hackers could also potentially steal a person’s phone by hijacking their SIM card, gaining access to other private accounts.

In the email, Instagram strongly suggested using two-factor authentication and unique passwords to protect their accounts.

The company has not disclosed how many people were affected or who the high-profile accounts belonged to.

Earlier this week, Selena Gomez’s Instagram account was hacked, posting old nude photos of the singer’s ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber.

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