×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
14
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 14°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Millions of Instagram celebrities and influencers had their personal data leaked online

The database was left exposed and without a password allowing anyone to look inside

Newsroom May 22 10:38

A massive database hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Mumbai-based internet company Chtrbox that contained contact info for millions of Instagram accounts for influencers, celebrities and brands has been discovered leaked online.

The database, hosted by Amazon Web Services, was left exposed and without a password allowing anyone to look inside,” writes Zack Whittaker at TechCrunch.

At the time of his report, the database had over 49 million records, and was “growing by the hour.”

From TechCrunch 

From a brief review of the data, each record contained public data scraped from influencer Instagram accounts, including their bio, profile picture, the number of followers they have, if they’re verified and their location by city and country, but also contained their private contact information, such as the Instagram account owner’s email address and phone number.

Security researcher Anurag Sen discovered the database and alerted TechCrunch in an effort to find the owner and get the database secured. We traced the database back to Mumbai-based social media marketing firm Chtrbox, which pays influencers to post sponsored content on their accounts. Each record in the database contained a record that calculated the worth of each account, based off the number of followers, engagement, reach, likes and shares they had. This was used as a metric to determine how much the company could pay an Instagram celebrity or influencer to post an ad.

>Related articles

Wills online – All the changes in inheritances through the digital platform diathikes.gr – The multiple benefits

The White House officially confirms that COVID came from a lab and accuses Fauci of a deliberate cover-up

Greek influencers become sex slaves in Dubai – Friday’s fares and flights from Athens

TechCrunch found several high-profile influencers in the exposed database, including prominent food bloggers, celebrities and other social media influencers.

We contacted several people at random whose information was found in the database and provided them their phone numbers. Two of the people responded and confirmed their email address and phone number found in the database was used to set up their Instagram accounts. Neither had any involvement with Chtrbox, they said.

Shortly after we reached out, Chtrbox pulled the database offline. Pranay Swarup, the company’s founder and chief executive, did not respond to a request for comment and several questions, including how the company obtained private Instagram account email addresses and phone numbers.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#celebrities#data breach#influencers#instagram#leak#online
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Tasoulas on the loss of Vassiliou: A leader with vision and a European orientation

January 14, 2026

K.M. with his endless patience, the shock report and responsibilities, the pollsters and President Maria, Jim Allen in Athens, the saga of “Egnatia Insurance”

January 14, 2026

A 24-year-old waitress holding the fireworks that caused the deadly fire in Crans-Montana died of asphyxiation

January 14, 2026

Iran responds to Trump’s threats: ‘We will strike American bases in neighboring countries if attacked’

January 14, 2026

Austrian press on the Greek bond: Investors are now queuing up in Athens

January 14, 2026

Giannis Antetokounmpo gets angry at Bucks fans’ boos: He booed them back from the court

January 14, 2026

“Traitor”: They vandalized tractors of farmers who went to the meeting with Mitsotakis at the Nikaia blockade, see pictures

January 14, 2026

Olive oil: How the market system inflates prices

January 14, 2026
All News

> World

A 24-year-old waitress holding the fireworks that caused the deadly fire in Crans-Montana died of asphyxiation

The owners of Le Constellation bar had her as their stepdaughter - they asked her to "liven up the atmosphere"

January 14, 2026

Iran responds to Trump’s threats: ‘We will strike American bases in neighboring countries if attacked’

January 14, 2026

Critical White House meeting on Greenland amid Trump’s threats to take over the island

January 14, 2026

At least 2,571 people killed in repression of protests in Iran, according to human rights organisations

January 14, 2026

Trump warns Iran of ‘very strong action’ if protester executions proceed

January 14, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα