Instagram privacy FAIL exposed your password – how to make sure you’re safe

INSTAGRAM is warning users that their passwords may have been exposed by a security bug.

The privacy blunder has been fixed – but it's possible that your login details may now be in the hands of hackers.

The gaffe was first spotted by The Information, which learned that users were being notified about the bug.

It (ironically) involved a privacy feature that let users download all of the information Instagram held on them.

Some users using the feature had their passwords shown in plain text form in a URL in their web browser.

This means anyone using a shared computer or a compromised WiFi network could've been easily hacked.

To make matters worse, people who re-use passwords across different accounts could then be hacked across multiple services.

In a statement, Instagram said: "If someone submitted their login information to use the Instagram 'Download Your Data' tool, they were able to see their password in the URL of the page.

"This information was not exposed to anyone else, and we have made changes so this no longer happens."

The good news is that Instagram has now fixed the bug.

And Instagram said that prior to the report, the issue had been "discovered internally and affected a very small number of people".

Instagram is owned by Facebook, which has had its own fair share of major privacy blunders this year.

Back in spring, Facebook revealed that people had been able to snoop on your personal info for years – without your permission.

And in late September, Facebook revealed that it had given hackers complete access to tens of millions of accounts.

How to stay safe after Instagram privacy blunder
If you were affected, Instagram will have notified you over email.

Instagram is also urging users to change their passwords immediately.

The bug is an important reminder to use different (and strong) passwords on all of your online accounts.

That way, one account being hacked won't compromise the others.

Be careful using public WiFi networks, as other people nearby can snoop on your web activity.

And if you're using a shared computer, avoid logging into accounts, and if you must log in, make sure to log out after use.

We've asked Instagram for comment and will update this story with any response.

In the meantime, check out our guide on how to get more likes on Instagram.

Do you trust Facebook any more? Let us know in the comments!