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Meta AI Support Bot Helped Hackers Hijack Instagram Accounts
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unless you confuse your theory with facts, then surely facts have valid sources?
rensuchan
macrumors member
Good luck getting any real support from them unless you're a big name influencer. I've been Meta free since November for similar reasons of unfair bans with no recourse. You'll eventually start to feel more mentally free.
Even more fun: when your Facebook or Instagram account is hacked, Meta does not provide support of any kind unless you have a paid Meta account. Everything for free accounts is AI or automated (and does not work).
Well UK gov for the Age Verification part, and global gov use of AI and proposed use. You can google it all if you like. As this story is not in the political forum I shall not comment further on it to save being banned.
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tunnel under ocean blvd
macrumors newbie
oh, I thought you'd bring up your porn habit, but it sounds like just some hypothetical 'global gov' conspiracy. I guess if you stay offline, they won't get to you - good luck!
Is that the best reply you could do? I would happily provide you with all the info, because apparently you don't know to use google, but this is the wrong forum for that.
Lucky736
macrumors 65816
Meanwhile their lack of BS support has me being asked to login to another known device, and that one does the same when neither device has been changed in a long time leaving me with no access and in a loop, with no actual people to help bc of their BS automated support.
Instead I should have just asked to take over a Celeb account and voila, wish granted like Sinbad in Shazaam! 🤣
Instead I should have just asked to take over a Celeb account and voila, wish granted like Sinbad in Shazaam! 🤣
Wow, I’m so glad I jumped ship when I did…
Meta's AI support assistant has been helping hackers get access to high-profile Instagram accounts, according to reports on social media. With no verification check, Meta AI would change the email address associated with an Instagram account, allowing the password to be updated.
Meta introduced its AI support assistant back in December with the aim of making it easier for customers to access 24/7 account support. It can be used for reporting scams, getting information on content removal, and resetting passwords. The latter option is what bad actors were able to exploit.
The Instagram vulnerability showed up on social media over the weekend, with demonstrations of the simple steps taken to get access to an account. In one demo, a hacker asks Meta's support bot to change the email address linked to a target Instagram account, and the AI does it without question.
Meta's support did not do robust identity verification, and in some cases, it appears it bypassed two-factor authentication. All that was required was a VPN connection set to a location near the target account, which is trivial. Meta appeared to be verifying account ownership based on location. "Our systems recognize the device you usually use and familiar locations better than ever," reads Meta's blog post on its AI support agent. In some cases, users were asked to verify their identity with a selfie, which was bypassed using AI.
For a short period of time, the exploit was available to the public, and account takeovers ramped up. One security researcher said Telegram channels that offer black market Instagram services "made lots of $$$" with Meta's AI. 404 Media said hackers have been aware of the exploit since March.
Meta patched the issue over the weekend, and today, Meta's VP of communications Andy Stone said the issue has been fixed. Meta is now "securing impacted accounts."
Information about the Instagram attack vector comes after hackers were able to take over accounts for Sephora, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, researcher Jane Manchun Wong, developer Albert Renshaw who owned @Albert, and the archived Barack Obama White House account. Multiple other users with desirable Instagram handles reported having their accounts taken.
Some users who have had their accounts stolen over the weekend were not able to use the AI to get their accounts back, and there was no option to speak with a human for help.
Article Link: Meta AI Support Bot Helped Hackers Hijack Instagram Accounts
BSDnostalgia
macrumors 6502a
Nobody cares about, really, InstaGram. At least most users I know will say that. (I've never had an account myself.) But, suddenly, everybody realizes that this could escalate badly. Perhaps already has in fact. I wish, but, don't expect, that people will not forget about this incident tomorrow. It may only be InstaGram, but, there are so many lessons people should take from this about Real Life risks.
IJ Reilly
macrumors P6
This sounds similar to what happened to my friend. Facebook was way less than helpful, seemingly actively protecting the account thief who was free to plaster his page with spam-scam posts for months. I'm sure this isn't what Facebook means to do, but they seemingly lack any internal policies or procedures to address account hijacks. A little human intervention would go a long way. I'm not sure how he managed to regain control of his account, but I kept reporting the scam posts so maybe that finally got their attention.
