Tea App hacked days after becoming top free app on Apple's App Store - over 72,000 images leaked, impacting women seeking safety

Economic Times

2 days ago

Tea app hacked: Thousands of women who joined the Tea app looking for safety and solidarity are now facing a nightmare. On Friday, the company confirmed that hackers breached its system and leaked more than 72,000 images, including 13,000 government-issued IDs and verification selfies, as per an NBC News report. Another 59,000 images publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments, and direct messages were also accessed without authorization after being hacked, as reported by AP.Many of the photos are now reportedly being shared on social media sites like 4Chan and X, according to the report.
AP reported that 404 Media, which earlier reported about the breach, said it was 4Chan users who discovered an exposed database that 'allowed anyone to access the material' from the Tea app. 404 Media wrote, 'While reporting this story, a URL the 4chan user posted included a voluminous list of specific attachments associated with the Tea app. 404 Media saw this list of files. In the last hour or so, that page was locked down, and now returns a 'Permission denied' error,' as quoted by AP.
ALSO READ: Vince Gilligan's Pluribus, starring Rhea Seehorn to premiere on Apple TV—Release date, teaser, cast, plot and details you need to know! Tea was designed as a private space for women to talk about men, a kind of virtual whisper network where users could upload photos, search for men by name, and leave comments describing them as 'red flags' or 'green flags,' as reported by NBC News.
The app blocked screenshots and required users to verify their identity by submitting selfies, which Tea claimed were deleted after review, according to the NBC News report. Now, the very process that was meant to protect women is the reason many feel exposed.The firm said that the breach only affects users who signed up before February 2024, according to AP. A Tea spokesperson told NBC News that 'This data was originally stored in compliance with law enforcement requirements related to cyberbullying prevention,' as quoted in the report.ALSO READ: Think lemon water is always healthy? Here's what you are not being toldHowever, the firm said, 'Tea has engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure its systems,' and added that, 'At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that additional user data was affected. Protecting tea users' privacy and data is their highest priority,' as quoted by AP.The hack came just as the app reached a new level of popularity, as per the NBC News report. Tea even became the top free app in Apple's App Store this week, and its Instagram page said new signups had surpassed 2 million in recent days, according to the report.What happened to the Tea app?Tea app was hacked, and over 72,000 user images were leaked online, including selfies and government-issued IDs.
Where are the leaked photos being shared? According to reports, images have appeared on 4Chan and X (formerly Twitter).