Snapchat usernames and numbers reportedly grabbed
It appears that the inevitable has happened
Snapchat has really done goofed this time when it comes to users’ security. The popular app was originally made to allow users to take photos and other media in order to send them to other users and usually the content was unable to be copied. Unfortunately, it didn’t take much time for some hacks to arrive and change the scenery.
The biggest problem was that a loophole has also surfaced in the coding and API of the app and would reportedly leave users’ personal information vulnerable. As Snapchat ignored the security hole that makes it easier for hackers to identify phone numbers, it appears that users might have received not so pleasant gifts for the New Year. For less than a week, the exposed usernames and phone numbers of more than 4.6 million users have been under attack and that is a little bit ironic. In all, Snapchat has always differed from other messaging services in terms of solid privacy and security as being also known as an ephemeral service, the app destroys all content second after the recipient view them.
Unfortunately, the company behind Snapchat seems indifferent to the issue as according to Gibson Security, it has been aware of the issue since August 2013 and for some reason it has failed to address it until last week. The Australian research team has also published some exploits after Snapchat ignored all notices, and it appears that the inevitable has happened. In fact, someone has used the exploit to gather user information in order to even publish parts of the database on a website. The bigger problem is that the author wants to disclose the full database under certain circumstances. Besides publishing the exploits, Gibson security denies any involvement on the case, so it drops the ball in Snapchat’s yard.
More importantly, users must beware and keep in mind that their personal information isn’t safe especially if they use the same usernames in other services. Stay tuned for more development on the matter.
Source: Hacker News
