Millions of Snapchat user names and phone numbers were briefly published on a public website earlier this week, and now the creators of the popular messaging app claim that an update is in the works that should make it harder for such information to be exposed.
The unknown group that posted 4.6 million Snapchat names and numbers this week (the website was later taken down) claimed their only motive was to get the app"s creators to fix an exploit in the app that had been known, but not fixed, for months. The software hole allowed people to exploit the Find Friends feature in Snapchat which lets users enter their phone number to make it easier for friends to locate them.
In a blog post on Thursday, Snapchat said it will be taking steps to limit the amount of abuse that can be created via the Find Friends feature. It stated:
We will be releasing an updated version of the Snapchat application that will allow Snapchatters to opt out of appearing in Find Friends after they have verified their phone number. We’re also improving rate limiting and other restrictions to address future attempts to abuse our service.
The blog added that it wants security experts and firms to contact them if they find anymore exploits "so that we can respond quickly to address those concerns." Gibson Security, which first revealed the Find Friends exploit months ago, stated that Snapchat had ignored them when they first contacted the app maker on the issue.
Source: Snapchat | Image via Snapchat