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Insta-breach: Six million Instagram accounts may have been leaked

Insta-breach: Six million Instagram accounts may have been leaked
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Insta-breach: Six million Instagram accounts may have been leaked
Up to six million accounts on photo-sharing app Instagram were potentially leaked via a bug exploited by cybercriminals. The breach was discovered after actress Selena Gomez's account was hacked last week.The Menlo Park-based company initially said the incident only impacted a few verified accounts, but the security flaw reportedly gave hackers access to non-verified users' email addresses and contact information."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," Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger said in a blog post on Friday.Last Thursday, the perpetrators created a website with a database of the alleged personal info of up to six million users. Dubbed "Doxagram," the site also contained the reported email addresses and phone numbers of several celebrities, professional athletes and politicians. It was taken down Friday.No passwords or other information was breached, and the bug has been fixed, Krieger added. Users are encouraged to monitor their accounts closely and report any unusual activity through the app's "Report a Problem" feature. "Although we cannot determine which specific accounts may have been impacted, we believe it was a low percentage of Instagram accounts," the company said. Instagram reached 700 million users in April.Here are tips for protecting your account.

Up to six million accounts on photo-sharing app Instagram were potentially leaked via a bug . The breach was discovered after actress Selena Gomez's account was hacked last week.

The Menlo Park-based company initially said the incident only impacted a few verified accounts, but the security flaw reportedly gave hackers access to non-verified users' email addresses and contact information.

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"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," Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger said in .

Last Thursday, the perpetrators created a website with a database of the alleged personal info of . Dubbed "Doxagram," the site also contained the reported email addresses and phone numbers of several celebrities, professional athletes and politicians. It was taken down Friday.

No passwords or other information was breached, and the bug has been fixed, Krieger added.

Users are encouraged to monitor their accounts closely and report any unusual activity through the app's "Report a Problem" feature.

"Although we cannot determine which specific accounts may have been impacted, we believe it was a low percentage of Instagram accounts," the company said.

Instagram reached 700 million users

Here are tips for protecting your .