{"id":4324,"date":"2026-01-12T16:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/instagram-denies-breach-after-many-receive-emails-asking-to-reset-password\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T16:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:37:09","slug":"instagram-denies-breach-after-many-receive-emails-asking-to-reset-password","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/instagram-denies-breach-after-many-receive-emails-asking-to-reset-password\/","title":{"rendered":"Instagram denies breach after many receive emails asking to reset password"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Instagram denies breach after many receive emails asking to reset password<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-0 bWRWzH\" readability=\"8\">\n<div class=\"sc-573fa0e8-1 bNZQpT\"><time datetime=\"2026-01-12T16:11:02.571Z\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-2 diehpQ\">19 minutes ago<\/time><\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"byline-contributors\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-11 cOQNNv\" readability=\"6\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-7 kdBCdE\">Joe Tidy<!-- -->,<\/span><span data-testid=\"byline-contributors-contributor-0-role-location\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-8 eDNgSC\">Cyber correspondent<\/span><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-9 keGieE\">and<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-7 kdBCdE\">Liv McMahon<!-- -->,<\/span><span data-testid=\"byline-contributors-contributor-1-role-location\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-8 eDNgSC\">Technology reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 eRlINq\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IvlOPo.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/075c\/live\/e5136160-ef9a-11f0-a161-0dc741483a6b.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images A hand holds a smartphone displaying Instagram on its screen, against a larger backdrop of the Instagram logo\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 jVqbAn\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\" readability=\"18\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Instagram has denied it has been victim to a data breach after many users received emails prompting them to reset their password.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The firm said it had resolved a problem which allowed &#8220;an external party&#8221; to get the social media platform to send out legitimate password reset requests to users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Instagram said there had been no breach of its systems, and told users their accounts were secure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">But some experts have questioned the statement, with cyber security firm Malwarebytes claiming the password reset emails had in fact been sent as a result of a hack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\" readability=\"30\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;Cybercriminals stole the sensitive information of 17.5 million Instagram accounts, including usernames, physical addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and more,&#8221; it claimed in a post on X, along with a screenshot of a password reset email from Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">No further details were given by the company, but the post has been viewed more than 2.3 million times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Malwarebytes told the BBC it believed the password reset emails were a direct result of an ongoing sale of private data on a hacker forum, where a criminal has claimed to have the personal details of 17.5 million Instagram users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The advert claims the data comes from a &#8220;leak&#8221; in 2024. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">But some security researchers think it is actually an old database that was gathered from data which could be publicly viewed &#8211; such as names and locations &#8211; in 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 gXmhTb\">&#8216;No breach&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\" readability=\"32\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The password reset emails coupled with the Malwarebytes warning has prompted confusion for thousands of people on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">And Instagram&#8217;s explanation also posed questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;We fixed an issue that let an external party request password reset emails for some people,&#8221; the company said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;There was no breach of our systems.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">But Instagram did not respond to the BBC&#8217;s questions about who the external party was which could send out legitimate password reset requests on behalf of the firm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The emails caused concern for some users on social media, who feared it was a scam or phishing attempt designed to glean more of their details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">But the links in the email do not appear to be malicious, and the password reset process a user is guided through appeared to be legitimate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">However the advice, as ever, is to go straight to the website or app to make changes to passwords and add extra protection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 GunZh\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IvlOPo.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 640w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A green promotional banner with black squares and rectangles forming pixels, moving in from the right. The text says: \u201cTech Decoded: The world\u2019s biggest tech news in your inbox every Monday.\u201d\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Published at Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:11:02 +0000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Instagram denies breach after many receive emails asking to reset password 19 minutes ago Joe Tidy,Cyber correspondentand Liv McMahon,Technology reporter Getty Images Instagram has denied it has been victim to a data breach after many users received emails prompting them to reset their password. The firm said it had resolved a problem which allowed &#8220;an&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/instagram-denies-breach-after-many-receive-emails-asking-to-reset-password\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Instagram denies breach after many receive emails asking to reset password<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}