The Bottom Line: Meta’s AI support chatbot enabled attackers to take over Instagram accounts by changing email addresses during the password reset process.
Attackers exploited a security vulnerability in Meta’s AI-powered support chatbot to gain access to established Instagram accounts. The attack occurred through the password reset function, in which the AI improperly changed associated email addresses.
Security researchers have identified a critical vulnerability in Meta’s outsourced AI support system. Hackers successfully compromised hundreds of Instagram accounts by exploiting the password reset function and instructing the AI chatbot to change the email addresses linked to target accounts. The AI-powered support automation carried out these sensitive changes without enforcing adequate verification mechanisms.
Particularly striking is the fact that long-established and high-profile accounts were also affected — demonstrating that the vulnerability endangered not just casual users. Attackers thus exploited a fundamental design flaw: an AI system capable of making administrative account changes received insufficient or no guidelines for identity verification during critical operations.
For CISOs, this incident underscores a central risk of outsourcing AI to customer support processes. While AI chatbots promise scalability, security-critical functions — particularly those that alter email addresses or authentication mechanisms — must not be delegated without explicit multi-factor verification. The incident also demonstrates that pure automation is potentially more dangerous than human support with authorization requirements.
Source: borncity.com · Published June 2, 2026
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