Security News

Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram down due to DNS outage
2021-10-04 16:13

Users worldwide are reporting that they are unable to access Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, instead seeing errors that the sites can't be reached. When attempting to open any of the three sites, they are given DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN errors and advised to check if there is a typo in the domain entered in the address bar.

SIM swap scammer pleads guilty to Instagram account hijacks, crypto theft
2021-08-16 15:27

Declan Harrington, a Massachusetts man charged two years ago for his alleged involvement in a series of SIM swapping attacks, pleaded guilty to stealing cryptocurrency from multiple victims and hijacking the Instagram account of others. Harrington was charged with Eric Meiggs in November 2019 for targeting the owners of high-value Instagram and Tumblr accounts.

Instagram Launches 'Security Checkup' to Help Users Recover Hacked Accounts
2021-07-18 22:57

Instagram earlier this week introduced a new "Security Checkup" feature that aims to keep accounts safe and help users-whose accounts may have been compromised-to recover them. In order to gain access to accounts, users will be prompted to perform a series of steps, which include checking recent login activity, reviewing profile information, and updating contact details such as phone numbers or email.

Instagram‌ ‌Bug Allowed Anyone to View Private Accounts Without Following Them
2021-06-16 20:28

Instagram has patched a new flaw that allowed anyone to view archived posts and stories posted by private accounts without having to follow them. "This bug could have allowed a malicious user to view targeted media on Instagram," security researcher Mayur Fartade said in a Medium post today.

Researcher Earns $30,000 for Instagram Flaw Exposing Private Posts
2021-06-15 14:46

A researcher says he has earned $30,000 through Facebook's bug bounty program for reporting an Instagram vulnerability that exposed private posts. In a blog post published on Tuesday, Mayur Fartade, a researcher based in India, said the flaw could have been exploited to access private or archived posts, stories, reels and IGTV videos without following the user whose content was targeted.

MI5 wants to shed its cocktail-guzzling posho image – so it's opened an Instagram account
2021-04-22 13:45

British domestic spy agency MI5 wants to dispel the idea it is staffed by martini-quaffing layabouts who spend implausible amounts of time lounging around top-end bars and hotels. The first post by MI5 on Instagram was a photo of the entrance to its London HQ. We are sure MI5 is happy to have contributed towards Facebook's object-recognition AI project, given how the agency greedily hoovers up data about Britons' online habits in the hope of finding enemy spies, terrorists, criminals, and so on.

Instagram Android app is crashing for some, here's what to do
2021-04-16 18:42

Instagram app has been crashing for some Android users this week, and it isn't clear why. This issue started happening around April 13th, 2021, when the Instagram app on Android devices received its latest update.

Iran Used Fake Instagram Accounts to Try to Nab Israelis: Spy Agencies
2021-04-12 17:33

Israeli spy agencies accused Iran on Monday of using fake social media accounts to lure citizens of the Jewish state abroad "To harm or abduct them". The Israeli claim came hours after Iran accused its arch-enemy of orchestrating an attack on a key nuclear site and vowed "Revenge".

Instagram scams and how to avoid them
2021-03-22 19:52

As our digital lives continue to grow, and online scammers learn new tricks, it is important to know how to identify an Instagram scam, and what to do if you are targeted. Here are the eight most common scams to watch out for, according to Instagram.

Facebook outage affecting WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram
2021-03-19 17:46

Facebook services are currently experiencing issues around the world, with users unable to access Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. When attempting to access Facebook services, users worldwide have stated that the application will display a continuous "Connecting" message.