Full story
Instagram takeover in US
Hackers breached the Instagram account of Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna, a senior US Space Force official, and temporarily posted pro-Iran and anti-US propaganda on Sunday, including content invoking the Vietnam War.
“Hackers say that they used Meta’s AI support chatbot to break into a host of high-profile Instagram profiles by asking the support bot to change the email address associated with the target account”
404 MediaCNN reviewed a video that used audio from “Hanoi Hannah,” telling US soldiers to “leave a sinking ship,” and the same video also featured images of Ali Larijani, who was killed during the recent conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
404 MediaIn a Facebook post Sunday night, Bentivegna warned colleagues not to click on any links or engage with videos that his account posted, saying, “We are working with the appropriate teams to regain access and resolve the issue as quickly as possible,”
A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the account had been hacked but declined to provide further details, including how long the hacked content remained visible or who may have been responsible.
Meta’s AI support bot
Separately from the Space Force account, PCMag reported that Meta’s AI support chatbot helped hackers hijack Instagram accounts by sending a basic text prompt that assisted them to reset passwords and seize targeted accounts.
PCMag said the exploit involved clicking “forgot password” and then using a button to access Meta’s AI support bot called “Get Support,” after which the chatbot offered three options to initiate a password reset.
CNNKrebs on Security described how instructions began circulating on Telegram on May 31, and it said a video released on Telegram claimed the attacker could use a VPN connection with an IP address in or near the target’s usual hometown.
Krebs on Security also quoted Meta’s Andy Stone on Twitter/X that the issue had been resolved and that they were securing impacted accounts, while Ian Goldin of Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs said, “AI chatbots create interesting new attack surface, and we’re likely to see a lot more of these kinds of attacks,”.
War-linked cyber stakes
The Instagram hack of Bentivegna’s account landed amid heightened concerns about cyber threats linked to the conflict with Iran, with CNN describing the incident as part of the propaganda battles that have accompanied the US war with Iran.
“The Instagram accounts for the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U”
Krebs on SecurityCNN said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, credited the Space Force with using “non-kinetic effects” to hamper Iran’s defenses when the US began bombing Iran on February 28.
CNN also reported that US Central Command told lawmakers it had “received multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater,” and that in late April the Navy described text-message threats to US Marine Corps personnel and their families as “unsubstantiated.”
In the same reporting, CNN noted that Iranian hackers in March breached the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel and leaked old emails and photographs, while it said young Iranians used artificial intelligence to create viral Lego-themed videos mocking President Donald Trump, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the US war effort.
