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Instagram is attempting to work out how the details of almost 50 million users were stored in an unguarded database.
TechCrunch, which broke the story, said that the database under the control of Amazon Web Services, was left exposed and without a password.
Security researcher Anurag Sen discovered the database and alerted TechCrunch.
The database has been traced to a Mumbai-based company called Chtrbox.
Several high-profile influencers are included in the exposed database.
These include prominent food bloggers, celebrities and other social media influencers. Gathering – or scraping – information from Instagram accounts violates the policies of the social media site.
Gathering – or scraping – information from Instagram accounts violates the policies of the social media site.
TechCrunch has said “we contacted several people at random whose information was found in the database and provided them with their phone numbers.”
Instagram users’ data was breached from a computer server in Mumbai. Credit: Getty Images
What has been the reaction?
Shortly after TechCrunch reported the breach, Chtrbox pulled the database offline.
City News’ Sabah Choudhry reports that: “Facebook is now investigating how such a security breach was able to happen”.
“We’re looking into the issue to understand if the data described – was from Instagram or from other sources”
Chtrbox has not responded when asked for a comment.
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HeadlineData Breach: Millions of Instagram users data exposed online
Short Headline Instagram users have private data breached
StandfirstA database containing the contact information of millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities and brand accounts has been leaked.
Instagram is attempting to work out how the details of almost 50 million users were stored in an unguarded database.
TechCrunch, which broke the story, said that the database under the control of Amazon Web Services, was left exposed and without a password.
Security researcher Anurag Sen discovered the database and alerted TechCrunch.
The database has been traced to a Mumbai-based company called Chtrbox.
Several high-profile influencers are included in the exposed database.
These include prominent food bloggers, celebrities and other social media influencers. Gathering – or scraping – information from Instagram accounts violates the policies of the social media site.
Gathering – or scraping – information from Instagram accounts violates the policies of the social media site.
TechCrunch has said “we contacted several people at random whose information was found in the database and provided them with their phone numbers.”
Instagram users’ data was breached from a computer server in Mumbai. Credit: Getty Images
What has been the reaction?
Shortly after TechCrunch reported the breach, Chtrbox pulled the database offline.
City News’ Sabah Choudhry reports that: “Facebook is now investigating how such a security breach was able to happen”.
“We’re looking into the issue to understand if the data described – was from Instagram or from other sources”
Chtrbox has not responded when asked for a comment.
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