Instagram Hack Includes Obama White House Account: What To Know
A long-dormant Instagram account tied to former PresidentBarack Obama's White House abruptly sprang back to life over the weekend with hacked posts that quickly spread across the platform before being removed.
The account @obamawhitehouse was briefly compromised on Sunday, publishing unauthorized content, including AI-generated images and politically charged messages, TMZ reported, before Meta, Instagram’s parent company, regained control and secured the page.
While the breach was short-lived, its implications may be far more enduring and underscore a growing cybersecurity concern: even inactive, legacy social media accounts tied to major political institutions remain attractive targets.
Newsweek reached out to Obama and the White House via email for comment.
Inactive Obama Account Hacked
The @obamawhitehouse Instagram account was hacked on Sunday, briefly displaying unauthorized posts and stories before being secured. Meta confirmed the breach, removed the posts, and restored control of the account. The party responsible for the hack and how the hack was carried out have not been identified.
When reached for comment, Meta referred Newsweek to a statement it made on X: “This issue has been resolved and we are securing impacted accounts.”
TMZ reported that one post was an AI-generated image with a caption that translated to “The White House is under Shiites’ control.”
The page itself is an archival account that has been inactive since 2017 and is separate from Obama's personal Instagram presence.
Who Else Was Affected?
The incident comes as other high-profile accounts appear to have been targeted.
On Sunday evening, the Instagram account of Space Force Chief Master Sergeant John F. Bentivegna-a much smaller account with just over 1,000 followers-was also hijacked and filled with pro‑Iran propaganda in what was described as an apparent security breach involving a Pentagon-affiliated figure, the Washington Examiner reported.
X user André (@oracles) said on Monday that hundreds of other inactive Instagram accounts had been targeted, including his own handles.
“Today Instagram had this massive exploit where hackers were just stealing rare handles left and right. Hundreds of accounts gone,” he said in a post on X.
“People losing handles they've owned since 2010, some worth hundreds of thousands. I own a few rare ones so I was actually stressed watching this happen in real time, which I haven't been in years. Obama White House account got hit,” he wrote, adding, “These aren't some random new accounts, these are verified, locked down accounts and they still got compromised.”
Gergely Orosz, author of Pragmatic Eng, a software engineering newsletter on Substack, also pointed out the vulnerabilities that could have led to the hack, saying, “It's wild how Meta – a company going all-in on AI – somehow missed the memo on how AI can generate images and videos that renders ‘take a selfie of yourself’ verifications utterly useless.”
“So now Instagram accounts hacked at scale. 2FA also fully bypassed – by Meta's own design,” Gergely continued.
“Apparently this was not a sophisticated hack,” he explained, adding, “But engineers at Instagram going overboard to use AI for everything, and having no incentives for stuff like… security.”
How to Protect Your Instagram Account From Hackers
Most hacks come from phishing or weak passwords, not sophisticated attacks, so basic security steps go a long way. Protect your account from hacking with these tips:
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) - adds a second login code so attackers can't get in with just your password
- Use a strong, unique password - avoid reusing passwords or personal info like birthdays
- Avoid phishing links - don't click login links in emails or DMs claiming to be from Instagram
- Check login activity - log out any unfamiliar devices or locations
- Remove suspicious third‑party apps - especially apps promising followers or analytics
- Secure your email account - it can be used to reset your Instagram password
- Be cautious with unexpected DMs and links - hacked accounts often spread malicious messages
- Turn on login alerts and security features in Instagram settings
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 11:44 AM.