Hackers use Meta AI to take over Obama White House Instagram account

Hackers used Meta’s AI assistant to take over multiple Instagram accounts, including one used by the Obama White House, by adding new email addresses that allowed them to reset passwords.

The affected accounts included the archived Obama White House account, which was later seen posting Arabic-language imagery and messages.

Screenshots showed the account’s profile and Instagram Stories displaying images of Iranian military figures, including Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. strike in 2020.

The account for the Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Space Force was also hacked and posted similar imagery.

The hackers were able to tell Meta’s AI assistant to add a new email address to the Instagram accounts, allowing them to request password reset emails and gain access.

“We fixed an issue that allowed an external party to request password reset emails for some Instagram users,” Meta said in a statement. “There was no breach of our systems and people’s Instagram accounts remain secure.”

OSINTtechnical, an X account that tracks military and security developments, said the hacked Space Force chief account had followed multiple PMF accounts, as did the Obama White House account after it was taken over.

The account said that detail, along with some of the Arabic-language propaganda posted, suggested the activity may have been carried out by Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq.

PMF refers to the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi state-linked umbrella group that includes Iran-aligned militias. Meta did not identify who was responsible for the account takeovers.

It was not immediately clear how many Instagram accounts were affected or how long the hackers had access before the accounts were secured.