India, Jan. 12 -- A major security event involving Instagram surfaced in early January 2026, leaving millions of users questioning the safety of their personal data. Reports from cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes indicate that a dataset containing the personal information of 17.5 million Instagram users is circulating on the dark web. The data includes usernames, full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and partial physical addresses.

The incident gained public attention on 7 January 2026, when a threat actor using the alias "Solonik" posted the records on BreachForums. While the leak does not appear to contain account passwords, the availability of contact details enables attackers to conduct sophisticated phishing and identity theft. ...