We share a lot of photos and videos on social media. Some of it is meant for the public, and some is private. Unfortunately for hundreds of women, they had their private Snapchat photos stolen. Thankfully, the man who was responsible for hacking the Snapchat of these women is finally going to jail.
Man behind Snapchat hacking of women photos gets six years
This case goes back to May 2020, when a man by the name of Kyle Svara undertook a phishing operation hacking the Snapchat of hundreds of women. He used various social engineering tactics, such as pretending to be an employee of Snap, to request access codes from his victims.
According to the police, Svara managed to harvest the credentials of around 570 people. He then downloaded the photos, some of which were private and explicit, and then advertised the sale of them along with his services on online forums. According to the court documents, “He directed potential co-conspirators to reach out to him on other, more secure channels like the encrypted messaging application Kik.”
Svara was then charged in December last year, and now he has been sentenced to 76 months in prison. He will also get three years of supervised release.
As if hacking into these women’s Snapchat wasn’t bad enough, investigators discovered he had also distributed CSAM. They found 530 images and 600 videos depicting CSAM in his Mega account.
Protecting yourself online
That being said, this incident makes for a reminder that we should always stay safe online. Don’t share personal information with strangers, and always make sure you have two-factor authentication activated on your online accounts. While it isn’t 100% foolproof, as we’ve seen here, it’s better than nothing.
Also, be sure to pay attention when downloading apps, especially unofficial apps, and from third-party app stores. This is because sometimes third-party app stores don’t have the same strict vetting process from official stores. This can result in malware-laden apps shared online, which can steal your information or infect your device.
Lastly, almost all companies that offer online services would never ask for your password or OTP. Emails or text messages requesting that or asking you to click a link are almost always a scam. If you have to make sure, go directly to the website itself instead of clicking the link.
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