Over the past day, Instagram users from Israel and around the world have reported receiving emails asking them to reset their passwords, even though they did not initiate such a process.
As reports continue to accumulate, it is becoming clear that this is a wide-ranging, cross-border phenomenon.
According to Forbes, the password reset requests is likely linked to a hacker who posted data on 17.5 million Instagram accounts on BreachForums, just hours before users began reporting the emails.
According to the reports, the messages were sent via Instagram’s official systems and are not phishing attempts, but rather an actual use of the password reset mechanism.
This means that someone who is not the account holder initiated a recovery request, apparently based on email addresses or contact details that were included in the data leak.