Table of contents:
- How have user passwords been leaked on Instagram?
- How many affected would have been detected?
- What can we do to avoid this type of incident?
There has been no external attack by hackers. But a serious security leak has just materialized We are talking about Instagram, the social network that is also part of the Facebook conglomerate and that could now have exposed the user passwords.
The issue is directly related to a proprietary feature, which is the one that allows users to download a copy of their data Instagram has had to give the pertinent explanations to the users who have been affected by this error or security leak.If you are one of those affected, you will need to take action.
How have user passwords been leaked on Instagram?
As the owner of Instagram, Facebook notified Instagram users a few days ago about a bug that affected those who had used the function that allows them to download all the information that Instagram has about them This includes, logically, the publications they have made, but also a balance of their activity.
These data are provided to users through a file, which arrives in an email: the one that the user has indicated in their Instagram account. In any case, in the notification that users received alerting them to what happened, it was explained that when using that function, the system sent their password to access Instagram in plain text in the URL.
For some reason that users won't know, Passwords were saved on Facebook's servers In the message users received informing users of what happened, it was reported that the data had been removed and the tool was updated, so now, in theory, nothing more can happen.
How many affected would have been detected?
The number of Instagram users who would be affected by this error would be few. This was indicated by The Information, in which a company spokesperson explained that those affected would be a small group of people. The problem would be, according to it seems, in the fact that these people have been able to use their Instagram account on an open or shared computer.
In any case, those users who have not received any notification about this incident can rest easy, in principle. Even so, it is worrying that a social network like Instagram has errors of this type with data as confidential as user passwords.
What can we do to avoid this type of incident?
The first to get to work, of course, should be these companies, which should have much stricter security protocols. How many times has Facebook leaked users' personal data? In any case, users can take a couple of helpful steps.
First, use a unique access password for each service in which they are registered. In this way, after a password has been intercepted, hackers will be prevented from using it for other platforms, such as email or other services or social networks .
The second, activate the two-step authentication system, which allows a second layer of security to be applied, since users must confirm access to their account every time they try to access it and do so from a device as personal as a mobile phone.
If you want to register this option on Instagram, go to the Settings section > Two-step authentication and follow the instructions to protect your account every time you sign in from a phone or computer.
