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Hackers are taking control of hundreds of Instagram accounts as users lose hope
Hackers are reportedly not adding new posts, or mishandling the account, but changing user details.

What if you wake up one day to find that you cannot access your Instagram account? As nightmarish as it seems, it may have turned into a reality for some users.According to a report by the Mashable, for some Instagrammers, this nightmare has turned into a reality. Instagrammer Krista who has a fitness account with 4,500 followers noticed that she had been logged out of her account. When she tried to log in again, she was told that her username did not exist. Further, when she tried to reset her account, it said that account has a .ru mail. She is reportedly afraid that this hack might cost her a sponsor.[caption id="attachment_4786491" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
Instagram. Reuters.[/caption]"When we become aware of an account that has been compromised, we shut off access to the account and the people who’ve been affected are put through a remediation process so they can reset their password and take other necessary steps to secure their accounts.” an Instagram spokesperson told Mashable.A similar instance happened with Megan, an Instagram user with 2,000 followers. When her account was hacked, her username, password, along with the email address and password linked to the Facebook account was also changed. It is now linked to an email which has a Russian domain. It speculated to be the work of Russian cybercriminals.As per a Reddit thread, Instagram accounts of people were hacked despite the two-factor authentication.As always when this incident happened, Instagrammers on Twitter began to post about their concerns.Hackers are reportedly not adding new posts, or mishandling the account, however, they are changing user details mentioned in the profile, making it difficult for users to gain access. Meanwhile, affected users tried to contact Instagram, but either they did not receive a response or their complaints were rejected. Interestingly, if you go through Instagram's Help page, the advise given to the user in such a situation does not look very helpful.
Instagram. Reuters.[/caption]"When we become aware of an account that has been compromised, we shut off access to the account and the people who’ve been affected are put through a remediation process so they can reset their password and take other necessary steps to secure their accounts.” an Instagram spokesperson told Mashable.A similar instance happened with Megan, an Instagram user with 2,000 followers. When her account was hacked, her username, password, along with the email address and password linked to the Facebook account was also changed. It is now linked to an email which has a Russian domain. It speculated to be the work of Russian cybercriminals.As per a Reddit thread, Instagram accounts of people were hacked despite the two-factor authentication.As always when this incident happened, Instagrammers on Twitter began to post about their concerns.Hackers are reportedly not adding new posts, or mishandling the account, however, they are changing user details mentioned in the profile, making it difficult for users to gain access. Meanwhile, affected users tried to contact Instagram, but either they did not receive a response or their complaints were rejected. Interestingly, if you go through Instagram's Help page, the advise given to the user in such a situation does not look very helpful.First Published:Aug 14, 2018, 18:48:01 IST
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