So, you’ve just had an email from Instagram asking you to reset your password. Bit of a surprise, right? You’re not alone. Over the past few days, a fair few people have been scratching their heads after getting the same unexpected email, sparking a bit of chatter about a possible data breach.
Lots of users reported several of these emails landing in their inbox, all urging a password change they never asked for. The messages looked the part, properly from Instagram, saying a request to reset the password had been received and offering the usual links to either sort it or report it as a mistake. They did include the reassuring line: “If you ignore this message, your password will not be changed.”
The cybersecurity experts over at Malwarebytes chimed in, suggesting most of this is likely connected to a reported scrape of profile data from late 2024. Their analysis points to information from around 17.5 million accounts – things like usernames, phone numbers, and emails.
Instagram itself, though, is advising everyone to keep calm and carry on. On its help pages, the platform notes that getting a reset email isn’t an automatic sign you’ve been hacked. It could just be a simple case of someone mistyping an email address when they were trying to get into their own account. They were keen to stress that only someone with your actual password, or who clicks that specific login link in the email, could access your account.
The company, owned by Meta, also reminded users that its official emails only ever come from ‘@mail.instagram.com’. Their general advice if you’re feeling uneasy? It never hurts to proactively reset your password and turn on two-factor authentication for that extra layer of security.
Finally, Meta provided an update recently, clearing the air. They said, “We fixed an issue that let an external party request password reset emails for some people. There was no breach of our systems and your Instagram accounts are secure. You can ignore those emails – sorry for any confusion.”