Instagram hit by major security flaw; data of 1.75 crore users leaked

NEW DELHI: A report has claimed that personal data of around 1.75 crore Instagram users has been leaked and is circulating on dark web forums. It was cybersecurity company Malwarebytes that released the report highlighting a security flaw on Instagram. According to the report, users’ personal information is being circulated among hacker groups on the dark web. The leaked data reportedly includes usernames, full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and partial addresses.

Malwarebytes has warned that hackers could use this information for various criminal activities. The company has also pointed out the possibility of hackers misusing Instagram’s password reset feature to take over user accounts. It said such attempts have already begun, with several users reportedly receiving messages related to password resets.

Meanwhile, Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has not yet issued an official response to the data leak. Reports suggest that the information circulating on the dark web may be linked to the Instagram API data leak that occurred in 2024.