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Hackers duped Meta AI support chatbot to steal celebrity Instagram accounts

Hackers used Meta’s AI support bot to reset passwords and seize high-value handles, with some stolen accounts quickly sold on Telegram.

  • Meta has rushed to patch a critical security vulnerability in its AI support assistant after hackers discovered a surprisingly simple way to manipulate the chatbot into handing over control of premium Instagram accounts.
  • The exploit allowed attackers to hijack high-profile handles by simply asking the AI bot to change the account's registered email address, bypassing the need to hack the victim’s actual phone or email inbox.
  • Cybercriminals successfully used VPNs to mimic the geographic location of their targets, satisfying regional automated security checks before prompting the chatbot to send a verification code and password-reset link to an attacker-controlled inbox.
  • A wave of high-value and celebrity handles were compromised over the weekend, including the inactive Obama-era White House Instagram page, beauty retailer Sephora, and the personal account of US Space Force Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna.
  • The security lapse sparked immediate backlash from tech researchers, who criticized Meta for replacing human trust-and-safety teams with automated, easily fooled AI support bots following a series of corporate layoffs.
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Hackers would have managed to cheat Meta's IA assistant to take over Instagram accounts. A simple flaw, which falls at the wrong time for the American company. ...

·Brussels, Belgium
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Tech Radar broke the news in United Kingdom on Monday, June 1, 2026.
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