Hacking is a reality and not fiction as many users tend to ignore the phrase. If you don’t follow preset IT security procedures when setting your password, and follow strict measures to protect your online presence, then you could fall in the same ditch as that thousands of Instagram users are in now.
Earlier this week, a social media bot service called Social Captain that helps users grow their follower counts was hacked and a list of usernames and passwords was shared online before a researcher landed on the same entrance.
Well, as per a recent report by TechCrunch, a security researcher tipped them of a Social Captain backdoor that stores user passwords in plain unencrypted text. The researcher further provided a spreadsheet of 10,000 accounts to confirm the vulnerability as per the report.
However, Social Captain came out to confirm that it had blocked the plain vulnerability by preventing direct access to user profiles. With about 70 premium accounts on the spreadsheet shared to Tech Crunch, a reply from the Instagram team was inevitable
We are investigating and will take appropriate action. We strongly encourage people to never give their passwords to someone they don’t know or trust
By An Instagram SpokesPerson
According to the manager security solutions at Synopsys software integrity group Mr. Adam Brown, design flaws contribute to 50% of all software vulnerabilities, and the breach on Social Captain is just another example that will affect users who use the same passwords on multiple sites.
This is especially bad for affected users not just because their Instagram passwords are now breached, but also due to the fact that people commonly reuse passwords which could lead to unauthorized access of additional accounts by extension, Adam added
So, In case you have used any follower growth bot/app that requires direct logins like Social Captain, then its high time you change your account password or revoke access to 3rd party apps to protect your account before hackers help you to publish your next Instagram post.