Instagram alerts users targeted by hackers during AI chatbot attacks

The extensive hacking campaign that was based simply on asking Meta AI’s chatbot to take over a victim’s Instagram account appears to have continued even after the company said the issue had been resolved. In the meantime, the company is working to secure the targeted accounts and notify victims.

Over the weekend, hackers claimed to be exploiting Meta’s AI-powered chatbot to take over several high-profile Instagram accounts. At the same time, a large number of people he complained on social media that their Instagram accounts had been hacked, some of them with uniquely short user profile handles.

TechCrunch has seen examples of allegedly hacked grips with common or country names, which can then be resold almost as collectibles in a gray market for so-called “OG grips.” Other victims of the hack appeared to be inactive Obama White House account (which Meta disputed) and the account of US Space Force Master Sgt. John Bentivegna.

These attacks were so simple that calling them hacks might be giving the people behind them too much credit, while not putting enough blame on Meta for not stopping rudimentary attacks from stealing people’s accounts.

Hackers simply told Meta’s AI chatbot that they were the target’s account owner and asked the bot to link that person’s account to an email they controlled. The chatbot complied with the request, allowing the hacker to reset the target account’s password and take control of the account — in some cases locking out the victims. At no point were Meta employees or contractors involved in the conversation.

On Monday, Meta spokesman Andy Stone he said that “the issue that occurred has already been fixed.”

On Tuesday, however, more Instagram users they claimed their accounts had been hacked.

At the same time, TechCrunch has seen discussions between members of a Telegram channel where the hacking technique was made public, who claimed they could still exploit Meta’s AI chatbot and were apparently advertising hacked handles for sale, including at the time of TechCrunch’s writing. (It’s important to note that it’s hard to know for sure if all of these accounts were compromised due to the same technique.)

In a later one post on Xsaid Stone: “Some people may receive password reset notifications and some may be asked security questions when trying to log into their accounts.”

Stone told TechCrunch in an email that Meta secured the affected accounts on Monday and then began sending password reset emails. When asked by TechCrunch, Stone would not say how many users were hacked.

Several people have reported that Meta has started alerting users that they are being targeted. Victims publicly reported receiving an email from Instagram warning them that the company had “detected some suspicious activity that suggests your Instagram may have been compromised.” The message also said that the company took measures to secure the account and asked the user to reset their password.

As 404 Media notedAfter was announced in March that it was implementing artificial intelligence to automate its user support, saying the AI-powered chatbot was “designed to resolve account issues end-to-end” and would have the ability to “securely reset your password.” This suggests that the chatbot can perform actions that may have previously required a human in the loop, given how critical they were.

For years there was a booming market where hackers stole and then sold “OG” usernames, referring to the usernames and handles taken by early Instagram users. In the past, however, taking over these accounts required more sophisticated strategies, such as phishing the victim, taking over their phone number, or bribing residents to telecom providers.

Here, the hackers simply asked and Meta’s chatbot obediently complied.