Instagram: Intruders Got Access To Contact Info Of High-Profile Users

According to Instagram, intruders were able to gain access to the contact information (including mobile phone numbers and email addresses) of a certain number high profile users. The social media giant went on to explain that the intruders were able to do this by taking full advantage of a bug in Instagram’s programming interface. Instagram has since claimed that it has already eliminated the bug, and it assures users that no passwords were obtained. Still, the company has issued alerts to all users, basically warning everybody to be extra careful nonetheless.

Although this latest incident did not ultimately become as bad as it could have been, it goes without saying that it is the last thing Instagram needs, especially after Selena Gomez’ Instagram account got hacked a few days ago. Last Monday, the singer’s account was taken down after a number of unflattering images of his former beau Justin Bieber were posted on her account. Although Gomez has since re-secured her account, it was confirmed that it was indeed a hack.

In social media today, Instagram is one of the fastest growing platforms, helped immensely by high profile users, like celebrities such as movie stars, recording artists, or popular sports figures, who continue to attract hordes of followers. But if breaches like Selena Gomez’ continue to be an issue, these celebrities might decide to be less active or even leave Instagram in the near future. 

Needless to say, Instagram does not want that to happen. Owned by Facebook (the world’s most popular social media platform), Instagram now has 700 million users (specifically, as of April earlier this year). And apart from that, recent months have seen the company introduce a new offline mode feature for its Android users. Moreover, due to its 700 million strong customer base, Instagram is starting to attract even more top advertisers. Its mobile app currently has more than a million active users, doubling the 500,000 it had as of September of 2016.

If it is any comfort to Instagram, it is not the only one being targeted by hackers. Any service that attracts a lot of users or subscribers is always fair game for identity thieves. And because more and more people today are saving their personal information in their mobile devices and social media accounts, news of data breaches are not that surprising. Sure, it pays to be careful each and every time, but you can’t always win everything.