Got a random Instagram password reset email? Here’s what actually happened

Over the weekend, Instagram users around the world were spooked after receiving unexpected emails asking them to reset their passwords. Given the nature of the email, many worried their accounts had been hacked.

We at Android Authority saw the same thing. Several password reset emails were sent from our official Instagram account, claiming someone tried to log in and asking us to verify and reset our password.

The panic grew after security company Malwarebytes posted on Bluesky, claiming that hackers had stolen data from 17.5 million Instagram accounts and that the information was being sold on the dark web. The post included a screenshot of one of the password reset emails as proof.

Instagram has now denied these claims of a hack.

In a post on X, the company has said there was no breach. Instead, it explained that it had “fixed an issue that let an external party request password reset emails for some people.” In other words, someone found a way to trigger password reset emails without actually breaking into accounts.

Instagram didn’t specify who the “external party” was or how they managed to request password reset emails, but it informed users that they could safely ignore the emails and apologized for the confusion.

So, while the emails looked scary and were definitely annoying, Instagram insists that your data wasn’t stolen and your account wasn’t compromised. However, if you’re still worried about your Instagram account’s security, you might as well go ahead and reset your account password.