Snapchat reacts to hacking group releasing millions of phone numbers. App will be updated to let users opt out of the 'Find Friends' function which searches for users in a phone’s address book...
Snapchat app. Photograph: Screengrab from Snapchat
The creators of Snapchat have faced millions of users details to be exposed by hackers who had published a database matching usernames to phone numbers. The millions of US users was uploaded by an anonymous group called SnapchatDB, users last two digits of their phone numbers were redacted to decrease spam and abuse. Snapchat has reacted to this problem and said it would release an update of the app to let users opt out of the vulnerbale 'Find Friends' function which searches for users in your phone's address book. The Snapchat community is believed to be a user friendly place where users can express and feel comfort about themselves sending pictures, furthermore they are dedicated in preventing any kind of abuse.
- "Consider releasing the unredacted data “under certain circumstances”.
- Potential abuse of the Find Friends function was released in August 2013
- Australian security research group, Gibson Security, revealed further details of vulnerabilities and said Snapchat had not responded to its warnings.
- The app creators responded on 27 December that they had implemented safeguards to “make it more difficult” for people to match up usernames and phone numbers, which they conceded was “theoretically possible”.
- SnapchatDB uploaded its database of 4.6 million users.
Personally, I think this problem had effected many users as they would feel concerned about the personal details being published online unsafe. As a Snapchat user myself I also found this interesting as important details about users could be published for everyone to see, however Snapchat has said the social network has become secure now and nothing else such as snaps except usernames was published therefore the social media could still be safe. Hacking is of course a major issue and could cause important details to be published therefore security needs to be a raise of concern for Snapchat to avoid this problem and prevent from losing customers.
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