Hacking complaints reported on major social media networks, Facebook and Instagram, saw a dramatic rise in July 2026, raising concerns regarding cybersecurity. Meta’s Monthly Report for India revealed that Facebook received 10,997 complaints related to account hacking in July, a staggering increase from 959 in June and 658 in May.

This marks nearly an elevenfold escalation in complaints from June to July and approximately seventeen times the figure noted in May. Instagram also experienced a notable uptick, with 16,621 complaints logged in July. This figure represents an increase from 4,197 in June and 4,652 in May, highlighting an approximate fourfold rise month-on-month. The data suggests that users are increasingly encountering issues related to hacking, necessitating prompt responses from social media platforms.

Daily Average Complaints and Related Issues

According to the report, the average number of daily hacking complaints on Facebook stood at around 355 throughout July. On Instagram, roughly 536 complaints were noted per day during the same period. Accompanying these hacking complaints were rising reports of access loss to pages or groups, which increased markedly from 3,379 in June to 6,673 in July.

This trend underscores that users faced significant challenges in maintaining control over their social media accounts. Facebook also reported an increase in complaints regarding loss of access to pages or groups, climbing from 884 in June to 1,156 in July. While the escalation in hacking and access-related complaints is evident, the data did not reflect a similar surge in complaints concerning fake profiles on either platform.

It suggests the bulk of user concerns centred around account hacking. Meta aimed to address these issues by providing self-service tools: of the total 10,997 hacking complaints received on Facebook, appropriate recovery tools were offered for 10,629 incidents. On Instagram, tools were made available for 15,425 of the 16,621 complaints.

Limitations of the Data and Response from Meta

Meta confirmed that all complaints registered on both platforms received some form of response; however, these figures do not correlate with confirmed instances of cyber breaches or cases filed with law enforcement. Rather, they reflect user reports through Meta’s grievance mechanism. The responses or recovery tools provided do not verify whether the accounts were ultimately restored to their rightful users.

The report does not specify the precise number of accounts that were compromised, successfully recovered, or those that remained inaccessible for original users. Furthermore, Meta did not elucidate the reasons behind the sudden rise in hacking complaints in July, leaving pertinent questions about the trends in cybersecurity unresolved.

Moreover, the report included a significant disclaimer indicating that technical issues hindered the verification of data regarding complaints categorised under specific types. Nonetheless, Meta asserted that the overall figure concerning grievances was accurate. This July data underscores a considerable rise in user-reported account hacking complaints on both platforms, yet the final resolution of these complaints remains uncertain.

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