Snapchat hackers post phone numbers of 4.6m users online

Hackers published the phone numbers of 4.6m Snapchat users online to highlight security flaws in the software. Image: Snapchat.

The numbers were partially masked when they were briefly published on Snapchat, and the unidentified hackers told TechCrunch they had done this "to convince the messaging app to beef up its security."

Snapchat, which allows people to send smartphone photos or video snippets timed to self-destruct 10 seconds or less after being opened, has become hugely popular among teenagers who are easing away from Facebook.

But Australian firm Gibson Security warned last week that glitches in the application could be exploited by hackers.

"Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue," the hackers said in a statement, published on TechCrunch.

"It is understandable that technology start-ups have limited resources but security and privacy should not be a secondary goal. Security matters as much as the user experience does. You wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant that spends millions on decoration, but barely anything on cleanliness," TechCrunch said.

Created by students at Stanford University in 2011, Snapchat reportedly rejected a US$3bn takeover offer from Facebook last year.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge