As a result of a massive Instagram hack, personal data of 17.5 million users has been exposed online, creating risks of phishing and account hacking. This is reported by Notebookcheck, writes UNN.
Details
Malwarebytes confirmed a massive data breach that exposed personal information from 17.5 million Instagram accounts.
The data leak can be used for phishing and account hacking.
Users are advised to:
- be careful with suspicious messages and links;
- enable two-factor authentication (2FA);
- change your password to a strong and unique one.
According to Malwarebytes, the leak is linked to a hacker named "Solonik". The data was published on BreachForums on January 7, 2026, and includes JSON and TXT files, likely obtained from the Instagram API back in 2024.
The published information includes usernames, full names, email addresses, international phone numbers, partial physical addresses, and other contact details. Passwords, reportedly, were not part of the leak.
Malwarebytes warns that attackers can use this data for phishing, targeted attacks, and attempts to steal accounts through the password reset system.