49 million Instagram users leak personal information, mostly celebrities

According to reports from TechCrunch, 49 million Instagram users recently leaked account data containing personal information on the Internet. Most of the affected accounts are celebrities, brand accounts and influential people on Instagram.

Personal information is leaked including biography, profile picture, location, phone number, email address and number of followers. More seriously, these data are not password protected, so anyone can see the user's personal information if these files are available.

After finding out, security experts have discovered that information about leaked Instagram accounts is in the database of Chtrbox, an Indian marketing company. Chtrbox specializes in linking brands with celebrities to advertise their products.

Currently, all this leaked data has been hidden from public view by Chtrbox. How does Chtrbox get the Instagram account email address and the user's phone number is still a matter of clarity. Pranay Swarup, Chtrbox's CEO does not give any comments and answers to questions related to this issue.

Currently, Instagram is contacting Chtrbox and considering the issue to find out where the leaked data comes from and why they leaked publicly.

Two years ago, information of 6 million users also leaked through Instagram accounts. Hackers have found users' phone numbers and contact information by taking advantage of Instagram's developer API security vulnerability, then selling to get bitcoin.