Instagram discovers bug that might reveal emails, phone numbers of users

Instagram has discovered a bug that could be used to gain access to users' email addresses and phone numbers. The company, in a blog post confirmed that no passwords or any other information was revealed. It hasn't revealed the number of accounts that became target of the bug.

Instagram, Instagram bug, Instagram hack, Instagram security, Instagram phone numbers revealed

Instagram has discovered a bug that could be used to gain access to users’ email addresses and phone numbers.

Instagram has discovered a bug that could be used to gain access to users’ email addresses and phone numbers. The company, in a blog post confirmed that no passwords or any other information was revealed. Mike Krieger, co-founder and CTO, Instagram said that the company has fixed the bug, though it was unable to identify the affected accounts. According to the post, even phone numbers and email addresses of those who’d made the information private could have been stolen.

“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,” Krieger wrote in a company blog post.

Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms with close to 700 million globally. It hasn’t revealed the number of accounts that became target of the bug, though the company believes it was a low percentage.

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“Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage you to be vigilant about the security of your account, and exercise caution if you observe any suspicious activity such as unrecognized incoming calls, texts, or emails,” added Krieger. The Facebook-owned company has advised users to report any unusual activity via its reporting tools.

Instagram has been rolling out new features to make its platform more fun. Last year, Instagram introduced Stories, the self-destructing-message structure. People can now share disappearing videos and images via Direct using the Blue coloured camera symbol at the bottom. For Instagram, Stories has been one of its biggest features with over 250 million daily users.

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