Meta's worst security nightmare just materialized. Over the weekend, hackers hijacked multiple Instagram accounts—including the Obama-era White House's official handle and the U.S. Space Force's chief master sergeant John Bentinvegna's account—by tricking Meta's own AI support chatbot into granting access.
The exploit targeted Meta's AI-powered support chatbot.
Security researcher Jane Wong was among the victims. "The password got changed without my knowledge and I was getting different password reset attempts throughout yesterday," she said. "Quite concerning."
A video circulating on X showed the attack method. The attacker used a VPN to spoof their location, bypassed Instagram's automated protections, then opened a chat with Meta AI Support Assistant and asked it to add a new email address to the victim's account.
The chatbot sent a verification code to the hacker's email. The hacker shared the code back with the bot. The bot displayed a "Reset Password" button. A new password was entered. The account was stolen.
The hacker never needed access to the legitimate email tied to the victim's Instagram account. Meta's own safety system became the attack vector.
Instagram spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed on Monday that the issue has been fixed. Meta has not disclosed how many accounts were compromised.
Security experts on social media questioned how Meta's AI support system could be exploited in this manner.
