Bug hits Instagram accounts, exposes e-mail addresses, phone numbers
Engineers at Facebook-owned Instagram have revealed that a bug has affected some accounts on the platform revealing the email addresses and phone numbers of the accounts holders. This makes the affected Instagram accounts vulnerable to being targets of hackers.
Mike Krieger, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Instagram however disclosed that the bug had been fixed.
He said: “We care deeply about the safety and security of the Instagram community, so we want to let you know that we recently discovered a bug on Instagram that could be used to access some people’s email address and phone number even if they were not public.
“No passwords or other Instagram activity was revealed.
“We quickly fixed the bug, and have been working with law enforcement on the matter,” the CTO revealed in a blog post.
The Instagram co-founder further stated that experts at the firm have not been able to establish the specific accounts that have been impacted, with Mike Krieger saying “we believe it was a low percentage of Instagram accounts” that was affected.
While apologizing for the occurrence, Krieger encouraged users of Instagram to be vigilant about the security of their accounts, and exercise caution if they observe any suspicious activity such as unrecognized incoming calls, texts, or emails.
“Additionally, we’re encouraging you to report any unusual activity through our reporting tools.
“You can access those tools by tapping the “…” menu from your profile, selecting “Report a Problem” and then “Spam or Abuse.”
“Protecting the community has been important at Instagram from day one, and we’re constantly working to make Instagram a safer place.
“We are very sorry this happened,” he added.
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