He Verified Someone Else’s Email on Instagram — and Meta Paid $5,000

📰 Medium · Programming

A bug in Instagram allowed a researcher to verify someone else's email without accessing it, earning a $5,000 payout from Meta Platforms, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity and bug bounty programs

intermediate Published 30 Apr 2026

Action Steps

Identify potential vulnerabilities in social media platforms using techniques such as fuzz testing and penetration testing
Use tools like Burp Suite or ZAP to analyze and exploit vulnerabilities
Participate in bug bounty programs like HackThrough to practice and learn from real-world scenarios
Report vulnerabilities to companies like Meta Platforms and follow their bug bounty guidelines
Use online resources like OWASP and Cybrary to learn about web application security and vulnerability assessment

Who Needs to Know This

This article is relevant to cybersecurity professionals, bug bounty hunters, and software engineers who want to learn about identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in social media platforms, and how to participate in bug bounty programs

Key Insight

💡 Cybersecurity vulnerabilities can be found and exploited in social media platforms, and participating in bug bounty programs can be a lucrative way to practice and learn