Meta has fixed a security flaw in its AI-powered support chatbot after hackers used it to gain control of high-profile Instagram accounts, including the Obama-era White House account, with the issue coming to light over the weekend and raising fresh questions about the use of artificial intelligence in account security.
Meta confirmed on Monday that the vulnerability had been resolved after security researchers and hackers shared videos showing how the company’s AI support assistant could be manipulated into changing the email address associated with a target account. In a statement, Meta said: “This issue has been resolved, and we are securing impacted accounts.”
The compromised accounts included the Instagram profile linked to the Obama White House, Sephora and the account of US Space Force chief master sergeant John Bentivegna. Users on Reddit and X reported similar account takeovers, suggesting the flaw affected a wider group of Instagram users.
Attackers were able to convince Meta’s AI support bot to link a victim’s account to an email address controlled by the hacker. After receiving a verification code at that address and entering it into the chatbot, attackers were presented with an option to reset the account password and take control of the profile.
The attackers appeared to use virtual private networks to mimic the account holder’s location and avoid triggering Instagram’s automated security checks. The publication said it verified that a public email account displayed in one demonstration video received a verification code despite not being associated with the targeted Instagram account.
Security researcher Jane Wong, whose account was reportedly compromised, told TechCrunch: “The password got changed without my knowledge and I was getting different password reset attempts throughout yesterday. Quite concerning.”
The incident has focused attention on Meta’s decision to expand AI-driven customer support across Facebook and Instagram. The company rolled out its Meta AI support assistant globally earlier this year, giving it the ability to perform account maintenance functions including password resets, scam reporting and account recovery.
Meta has not disclosed how many accounts were affected. Andy Stone, an Instagram spokesperson, said in replies to social media posts highlighted by TechCrunch that the issue had been fixed.
