Instagram hack: Users become victims of a strange account locking hack
In a widespread Instagram hacking campaign, hundreds of users are reporting that their accounts have been compromised. Besides losing access to the Instagram account, the profile image, email address, phone number, and bios related to the accounts of the affected users have been changed too.
Instagram Users Reporting Strange Hacks
Instagram users have been reporting of the bizarre hack since the beginning of August. Users are reporting that they are getting ‘logged out’ of their account, and if they try to log in again, it shows that their username no longer exist. The affected users also found hackers had altered their profile info and changed contact details.
Many of them saw their profile pictures typically set to a Disney or Pixar character with the new email addresses switching to a Russian .ru email address. Also, their bios and personal information have been deleted.
“My account has been hacked! Username, email, and password have been changed. Now someone called Laitus Maria has all my pics,” one Instagram user complained. While another disgruntled user tweeted:
@instagram My account would be hacked. The username and the mail were changed pic.twitter.com/rLlBOR13DF
— Oli (@Oliver_Nicolai) August 15, 2018
Instagram responds to the widespread hack
The Facebook-owned app in a blog post said that people who have been locked out of their accounts can regain access here with a new, secure email address.
The company wrote, “If you received an email from us notifying you of a change in your email address, and you did not initiate this change, please click the link marked ‘revert this change’ in the email, and then change your password. We advise you pick a strong password.”
Instagram also shared the following safety measures to avoid falling victim to similar hacks:
- Use a strong password—at least six numbers, letters, and symbols—different from those used elsewhere on the web.
- Revoke access to suspicious third-party applications.
- Activate two-factor authentication (2FA).
Instagram added, “We have dedicated teams helping people to secure their accounts. If you have reached out to us about your account, you will hear back from our team soon.”
While the motive behind the attacks on Instagram is still unknown, the use of .ru email addresses indicates that the source may be from Russia or perhaps threat actors pretending to be from the country.
Instagram is currently dependent on text messages for two-factor authentication (2FA), which is believed to be less secure than other app-based 2FA methods. However, the company says that it is working on improving its 2FA settings.
We recommend you to visit the Instagram Help Centre dedicated to hacked accounts for more information. Keep watching this space for more updates!
Password
All well and good but the Instagram process requires you to put in the email address. When the hacker has changed both the email and user name it’s nigh on impossible. Really frustrating and no updates from
Instagram in any way.
i think that it would be helpful to include the fact that you have to click on the “revert this change” link from a laptop or desktop. it did not work when I tried to use the link from in the email from my phone. after that, the instructions on how to regain control of my account were easy to follow. thank you for this!