What was exposed
Display namesEmail addressesGeographic locationsPhone numbersUsernames
What to do if you were affected
- Expect more phishing and spam at this address. Treat messages that reference this company with extra caution.
- Watch for text-message phishing and SIM-swap attempts on your phone number.
- Be wary of targeted scams that use your personal details to sound convincing.
Details
In January 2026, data allegedly scraped via an Instagram API was posted to a popular hacking forum . The dataset contained 17M rows of public Instagram information, including usernames, display names, account IDs, and in some cases, geolocation data. Of these records, 6.2M included an associated email address, and some also contained a phone number. The scraped data appears to be unrelated to password reset requests initiated on the platform , despite coinciding in timeframe. There is no evidence that passwords or other sensitive data were compromised.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram data breach?
In January 2026, data allegedly scraped via an Instagram API was posted to a popular hacking forum . The dataset contained 17M rows of public Instagram information, including usernames, display names, account IDs, and in some cases, geolocation data. Of these...
When did the data breach happen?
This data breach occurred around January 2026.
How many accounts were affected?
Around 6,215,150 accounts were affected.
What information was exposed?
Exposed data included Display names, Email addresses, Geographic locations, Phone numbers and Usernames.
What should I do if I was affected?
Expect more phishing and spam at this address. Treat messages that reference this company with extra caution. Watch for text-message phishing and SIM-swap attempts on your phone number. Be wary of targeted scams that use your personal details to sound convincing.
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