A new virus steals Instagram profiles and all data . It affects profiles with lots of followers and threatens the owners. Here’s how it works.
A new scam has taken the world’s most famous photo social network: millions of profiles have been forced by a group of hackers. The news is given by the cybersecurity aizenda Trend Micro, according to which the virus acts when a user, usually an influencer, requests Instagram account verification.
In these cases, cybercriminals, through a phishing attack manage to bypass controls and steal Instagram credentials. If the goal is achieved, the account passes into their possession and all the victim’s information is stolen, including privately exchanged messages and files. In recent times, phishing attacks on social networks are becoming more and more widespread. At the moment, the accounts under fire are those with a lot of followers but it is not excluded that they could soon involve everyone.
A new Instagram virus hits influencers
Trend Micro, a global leader in cybersecurity, periodically warns users about new cyber attacks. The new virus is very dangerous: it steals Instagram profiles, stealing all personal data from the user, including published content, Stories and even private messages.
This cyber attack mainly affects profiles with more than 15,000 followers and in fact most of the hacked accounts belong to influencers, actors, singers and web stars. These profiles are valuable and profitable, to say the least. That’s why in many cases criminals try to extort money from the owners to get control of the account back. Instead of money, they even ask for photographs and videos of the celebrities naked or intimate with other people. This content is then resold for stellar amounts of money, making the hackers earn a lot of money and ruining users’ lives forever.
Phishing attack on Instagram: how it works
It all starts with an email sent from a fake Instagram address following a real account verification request forwarded to the platform.
The message seems to be sent by the social network itself and asks the user to perform some actions to get the fake verification badge. If the user clicks on the Account Verification button present in the email, he lands on a page that asks for his login credentials which, if entered, get into the hands of hackers who steal the profile making it inaccessible. To make the process more credible, the user receives via e-mail a confirmation of activation of the verification badge, of course fake.
How to defend yourself from the attack?
To avoid the online scam you should first install a good antivirus that can block the attack in the bud phishing. Also, it is advisable to check the account from which the email is sent, which immediately turns out not to be connected to Instagram. Strange images or even grammatical errors may appear in the message. Finally, it is good to remember that no social network requires you to log in outside of its platform or app.