- Aug 15, 2018
Hackers are taking control of Hundreds of Instagram Accounts
Many Instagram users have been locked out of their own accounts after hackers took over their account and changed their user names and passwords. The hackers are not deleting any of the user's posts instead they are changing their usernames and probably impersonating them. Users took to Twitter to complain about the same but their complaints were unheard or dismissed.
Fitness Instagrammer Krista with around 4,500 followers noticed that when she tried to reset the password, it said that it had a .ru mail, indicating that the hackers probably belonged to Russia. This sudden unknown activity on her account can affect her sponsorship deals.
Another user named Meghan with 2000 followers noticed that her Instagram username and password was changed. Since her account was linked to her Facebook, her email address and password for Facebook was also changed. She also reported that the changed email address had a Russian domain.
Despite, Instagram's two factor authentication security features many accounts had been compromised to Russian cyber criminals. The hackers do not seem to be interested in posting new pictures on these accounts but they are just changing usernames and passwords to deny access to the real users.
Interestingly, Instagram has a policy of shutting access to an account if it is found to have been compromised. The user then goes through the remediation process where they can set a new password. Many users have emailed Instagram about the matter but they did not receive any help. The Instagram help page is also not very useful when it comes to telling users how to handle such a situation. So, users have took to Twitter to get help from Instagram's support service.
Read more at www.firstpost.com