It appears that hundreds of Instagram accounts have been hacked en masse since the beginning of this month. The method of these hacks is actually quite similar. It’s unclear at this point in time what vulnerability is being exploited to hack hundreds of Instagram accounts or if it’s a data dump from somewhere that’s aiding the hackers with credentials that are being used to compromise these accounts.
Mashable has heard from many people who have had their accounts hacked this month. They found themselves logged out of their accounts for no reason. When they try to log in again, they find that their handle, image, contact information, and even the number associated with the account has been changed.
The profile image is often changed to a Pixar or Disney character while the account’s email address is changed to a .ru Russian domain. Some accounts even had their two-factor authentication disabled by the hackers. The people behind the hackings don’t seem to be making any other changes to the accounts. They aren’t adding any new photos or deleting previous ones.
In addition to the report, countless complaints about such a hack are now spreading on Twitter and communities like Reddit. Instagram hasn’t commented on the situation as yet but given the publicity this is getting, it’s probably looking into the matter already.
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