Meta shuts AI recovery tool after 20k Instagram accounts hacked

Meta recently reported that approximately 20,000 Instagram accounts were hacked due to an exploitation of an AI-powered account recovery tool. Hackers could reset account passwords by manipulating this tool, which allowed them to link their email addresses to targeted accounts. High-profile accounts, including those of the Obama White House and high-ranking military officials, were affected.

Although the total number of compromised accounts is noted, Meta's associate general counsel suggested the actual number might be lower. The incident was related to a bug that failed to verify email addresses during password resets. Meta has since disabled the tool and invalidated the password reset links generated during the exploitation. Notifications and security checkups for affected users are planned to enhance account security.