Weird Instagram hack is locking people out of their accounts

Instagram users are
complaining on Twitter about being hacked.
Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Teen
Vogue

• Instagram users are complaining about a weird hack that
  locks them out of their accounts and replaces their login
  email with a Russian email address.
• Users are finding that they can’t access their
  accounts, that their profile pictures have been changed to an
  animated film still, or even that the accounts have been
  deleted.
• Those impacted are complaining on Twitter that
  Instagram isn’t giving them any real help.
• Instagram said it is aware of the issue and is
  investigating.

Instagram users are complaining on Twitter about a bizarre hack
that locks them out of their accounts, and then changes the
username, image, and associated email address.

According to numerous complaints on Twitter, first spotted by Mashable,
Instagram users are finding that they can no longer access their
account because the login details have changed.

They also report the hackers changing their profile pictures to
animated stills from Disney or Pixar films, or just deleting the
accounts altogether. In some cases, hackers changed the
associated email to one with Russia’s .ru domain.

Instagram
said in a blog post on Tuesday that it is investigating the
issue, and advised users to keep a strong password.

Here’s one user complaining that her account email has changed.
Her profile picture was also changed to a film still:

According to Mashable, there have been tweets about the hack from
899 accounts on Twitter.

Multiple users complained that Instagram isn’t doing enough to
help them. Because their login credentials have changed, it’s
difficult for the users to recover their accounts.

In its blog, Instagram wrote: “We are aware that some people are
having difficulty accessing their Instagram accounts.” The
company pointed users to its guidance on hacked
accounts and said people should revoke any suspicious
third-party apps that might have access to their accounts. 

Instagram
limited what data third-party apps can access using its APIs
following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but its blog suggests
people may have still handed over their login credentials to
bogus services. 

A spokeswoman added in a statement that the company tries to
provide a safe environment for users. “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 account,” she said.