RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Several users in Brazil can no longer access their Instagram account: they are given the warning “help us confirm that this account is yours”, they receive a security code via email or mobile phone, but are not allowed to login to their own profile.
In some cases, someone has changed the registered e-mail address. The social media has confirmed the problem and says they will solve it “as soon as possible”.
“We are aware that some people have encountered issues in accessing their Instagram accounts”, says the company in a statement. “We are working to solve this problem as soon as possible.”
Reports are accumulating on Twitter since Sunday, December 22nd, with the hashtags #FixYourAppInstagram and #instagramdown. They all have something in common: Instagram displays the message “to protect your account, you need to ask for help logging in”. A pop-up with “Error: challenge_required” may also appear.
The App then sends a security code to the email associated with the account, or to the mobile number. However, the procedure does not work and Instagram does not grant access.
In some cases, the registered email is not recognized by the account owner, and the “user not found” error message is displayed. This raises the suspicion of hacking: the hacker tries to remove all forms of recovery to force the person to give up the profile.
Instagram fails even with 2-factor authentication
However, the login will not work even if the email is correct and the security code is entered. The problem even affects those using the two-step scan.
“My Instagram has two-factor authentication enabled, I always log in with a different access code that is sent to my cell phone, and every time I log in through my browser there’s a notification in the email… the account wasn’t hacked,” explains a user.
Instagram has not provided details on the defect that prevents users from logging in.