Explicit images believed to have been sent through messaging service Snapchat were reportedly put online, with threats from hackers to upload more.<\/p>\n
Users who had been accessing the service via a third-party app, and not the official Snapchat app, had their images intercepted.<\/p>\n
As half of its users are aged between 13 and 17, there is concern that many of the images may be of children.<\/p>\n
Snapchat said its servers “were never breached”.<\/p>\n
The company added: “Snapchatters were 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.<\/p>\n
“We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed.”<\/p>\n
However, security researchers said Snapchat had to take more responsibility over user data.<\/p>\n
“For them to just turn round and say, ‘It’s the users’ fault,’ does seem harsh,” said Mark James, a security specialist from ESET.<\/p>\n
“They give the perception it is safe, they need to make it safe. They need to crack down on people’s ability to access their data.”<\/p>\n
The images were uploaded to the internet with a download link shared on a message board on Thursday night, according to reports.<\/p>\n
The download has since gone offline, but hackers threatened to post thousands more images.<\/p>\n
However, some doubted the authenticity of the images, suggesting many of them were duplicates or “fake”.<\/p>\n
Troubling incident<\/p>\n
Snapchat is a messaging app that allows the sharing of videos and images that “disappear” after a short period of time, usually just a few seconds.<\/p>\n