Russian Hackers Targeting Hundreds of Instagram Accounts

• Hundreds of users all over the world are now getting locked out of Instagram accounts.
• There have been 899 anecdotal reports on Twitter in the past 24 hours alone.
• However, Instagram revealed that there has been no spike in hacked accounts according to their backend statistics.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of Instagram accounts that are hacked since last month. According to Twitter’s analytics by Talkwalker, 899 accounts have reported their accounts being hacked in the past 24 hours. Users are infuriated with the situation and are barraging the official Instagram account on the social media platform for help. Other social platforms like Reddit and Facebook are also experiencing a surge in the number of reported accounts. Google’s search analytics also confirm the same with a noticeable increase in searches with the keywords “Instagram hacked” from August 8 to August 11.

Source: Reddit

An Instagram spokesperson revealed “We work hard to provide the Instagram community with a safe and secure experience. When we become aware of an account that has been compromised, we shut off access to the account, and the people who’ve been affected are put through a remediation process so they can reset their password and take other necessary steps to secure their accounts.”

https://twitter.com/karenhughes04/status/1029107589802614784

https://twitter.com/uhhuhsky/status/1029121718516768768

It is unknown how hackers are getting access to these accounts, and it may be the result of a coordinated attack. In most cases, victims did not have two-factor authentication enabled on their accounts, making it likely that enabling 2FA is enough to deter hackers. In most cases, the profile picture of the victim is being changed, and the primary email is being changed to that of Russian email domains.

Instagram recommends picking a strong password when setting up your account and it should contain at least 6 numbers to make it secure. Additionally, special characters can also be added. You should also change your password frequently to reduce the odds of your account being hacked.

With two-factor authentication being a likely deterrent for hackers, it is recommended you enable the setting for your account. Be careful with third-party authorizations as they will get access to your username and password and in cases of data breaches, your data may be compromised. Most importantly, do not share your account details with other people and log out from your account when using Instagram on a public computer.

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