Facebook and Instagram are both down. Users of the services are reporting their Instagram isn’t loading and their Facebook session has logged out.
It’s leading many people to worry that their Facebook and Instagram have been hacked. So, is this true and if not, what exactly is going on?
Facebook and Instagram Down
The issues with Meta’s services Facebook and Instagram started at about 10:45am EST, with people reporting they couldn’t access the apps. I have tried to log into my Facebook on my MacBook at 11:26 EST but received a prompt to log back in. My Instagram iPhone app isn’t loading with the message “couldn’t load posts” appearing.
The issue seems to be happening across certain regions, with Down Detector showing a spike mid morning.
Have Facebook And Instagram Been Hacked?
So have Facebook and Instagram been hacked? No, it doesn’t look like it, the two services are instead suffering an outage. Facebook has a history of going down but this could be for a huge list of reasons, says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET. He says it’s “highly unlikely to be a cyber-attack, but adds that this “can never be fully ruled out.”
It’s annoying for everyone involved, but it should be sorted soon and on the plus side, you get some time off doom-scrolling.
I have contacted Facebook for a comment and will update this story if the fir responds.
Facebook And Instagram Down—The Reaction
With Facebook and Instagram down, many users were left with nothing to do but turn to X, formerly Twitter. This led to a smug post from the social media site’s owner Elon Musk, who wrote. “If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working.
Others questioned whether they were being hacked, expressing relief when they realised this wasn’t the case.
Facebook and Instagram Security
When you can get back into Facebook and Instagram, it’s a good idea to shore up your security and start using a password manager. “When Facebook is back up and running, users will be given the opportunity to log back in but if they hit forgotten password, they will be able to generate a new unique password via a password manager,” Moore says.
You can also enable two-factor authentication for extra security to protect your Facebook and Instagram from hackers.
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