Hackers stole data from 17.5 million Instagram accounts
11 January 19:05
Hackers stole the data of 17.5 million Instagram users, which is now being sold on the dark web and can be used by cybercriminals. This was reported by cybersecurity company Malwarebytes, which discovered the database during routine monitoring of shadow online platforms, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The confidential information was published on January 7 on the BreachForums hacker forum by a user under the pseudonym Solonik. According to Malwarebytes, the leak included user names, physical addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other data. The company believes that the leak was the result of an incident related to an Instagram API vulnerability that occurred back in 2024.
Following the leak, many Instagram users began receiving emails requesting password resets. Malwarebytes believes that such requests may be initiated by attackers attempting to gain access to accounts. Experts warn that compromised data could be used for phishing attacks and account hijacking.
In this regard, cybersecurity experts recommend that users enable two-factor authentication via an authenticator app rather than SMS, change their password to a unique and complex one, and ignore suspicious emails about restoring access.
Instagram remains one of the largest social platforms in the world: the service ranks third in popularity, with about 2 billion active users per month and over 500 million daily users.
