Instagram Security News: Hackers Sell Searchable Contact Numbers, Email Addresses From Hacked Celebrities' Social Media Accounts
The photo-sharing social media platform Instagram became the latest victim of a hacking attack that reportedly exposed contact numbers and email addresses linked to the official pages of several celebrities.
Over the weekend, reports were rife that an Instagram bug was exploited by a hacker group to collect sensitive details from millions of Instagram accounts. Information such as linked email addresses and contact numbers were reportedly gathered and exposed by the attackers.
Addressing the issue, Instagram released a public statement and promised that the bug that caused the hacking has been fixed.
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In the statement, Instagram co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Mike Krieger explained that the bug had enabled crooks to access email addresses and contact numbers linked to Instagram accounts. However, he maintained that "no passwords or other Instagram activity was revealed."
"We quickly fixed the bug, and have been working with law enforcement on the matter. Although we cannot determine which specific accounts may have been impacted, we believe it was a low percentage of Instagram accounts," Krieger added.
Reports claimed that up to 6 million Instagram accounts were affected by the incident, some of which belonged to popular celebrities.
One of the first manifestations of the hacking is believed to have victimized singer Selena Gomez who has more than 126 million followers as of this writing.
Attackers who gained control of Gomez's account posted pictures of her ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber, which obviously shocked her fans. The said posts were later on taken down and Gomez reclaimed her account shortly after the attack.
Unfortunately, the hacking did not stop there. According to The Daily Beast, the hacker later on made a searchable database where details from 1,000 allegedly compromised Instagram accounts were exposed and being sold.
The said database was immediately taken down. However, the compromised personal details of celebrities were reportedly available already on the dark web.
Aside from Gomez, the reported personalities affected by the hacking incident were Emma Watson, Emilia Clarke, Zac Efron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Channing Tatum, Harry Styles, Ellie Goulding, Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Adele, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Floyd Mayweather, Zinedine Zidane, Neymar, David Beckham, and Ronaldinho.
