Snapchat users’ explicit images fall prey to hackers
But the questions everyone wants answered is how did the images get stolen, and should Snapchat users be worried?
While Hollywood stars like Jennifer Lawrence were victims of the original photo hack, along with many other prominent female stars, this latest attack involves a mix of regular users of the Snapchat app.
Originally thought to be a hoax, a database of images has since appeared online, with forum sites like 4Chan, previously at the centre of the celebrity nude photo leak, once again hosting links to the images.
The explicit images have reportedly been intercepted via a third-party app and leaked online.
Users of the app, many of whom are teenagers, have allegedly had their photos gathered by the third party over a number of years before being posted on to a website.
Snapchat said it was not the source of the leak and it strictly prohibits use of third party apps, which are created by separate developers as “add-ons”.
“We can confirm that Snapchat’s servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks,” a spokeswoman said.
“Snapchatters were allegedly victimised by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our terms of use precisely because they compromise our users’ security.
“We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed.”
Snapchat allows users to share videos and images that “disappear” after up to 10 seconds, however recipients can have the chance to “screen-grab” and save the pictures.
The app came under fire earlier this year after hackers published 4.6 million Snapchat user names and phone numbers on a website.
Police and children’s charities have previously warned teenagers over the dangers of using the app to send explicit images, which can be saved or copied.
Here are the key questions surrounding “The Snappening”.
For those not familiar with the app, Snapchat is an instant messaging service that allows users to send picture messages to each other.
The twist is the images “self-destruct” after a set time limit and disappear forever. Users can set this time between 1 and 10 seconds. This has, in some cases lent itself to explicit images being exchanged under the impression that they can not be saved. Snapchat has warned users in the past against using the service for “sexting”.
How then, did so many end up online?
Snapchat has been quick to respond, confirming that the app and service itself wasn’t hacked. Instead, the problem stems from unofficial third-party apps that give users the power to save images they are sent.
Apps like Snapsave on the Android platform enable users to enter their Snapchat log-in details and then save images they are sent without the knowledge of the sender. The images are stored in a database, and it is this type of app that is believed to have been accessed in order to round-up content for the leak.
The most worrying aspect of the whole incident is that more than half of Snapchat’s users are aged between 13 and 17, meaning some of the explicit images contained in the leaked database could be classified as child pornography.
Messages are far less secure if someone you’re interacting with is using one of the third-party services that enable users to catalogue messages they’re sent. One such site, SnapSaved.com, has since gone offline.
Being vigilant and only exchanging information with people you trust remains the best policy.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
