Dating safety app Tea was hit with a massive database leak earlier this month. As a result of this breach, approximately 72,000 user images and personal information were exposed. The breach further shocked the world when it came to user privacy and data security. It exposed sensitive information, ranging from applicants’ selfies to their photo IDs.
The breach exposed 13,000 selfies that users had submitted. Selfies were enclosed in a very sensitive, highly commissioned app. It further uncovered another 13,000 photo IDs used for account verification. The exposed data contained 59,000 images from user posts, comments, and direct messages. This staggering leak is tremendously troubling for app security measures as a whole and user faith in the app.
Reports indicate that 4chan users are already circulating personal information and selfies from Tea. This comes on the heels of last week’s finding of the exposed Reserves database. This continued disclosure has stoked terror that this kind of sensitive and private information would be used for malignant purposes.
As of Saturday morning, Tea remained in its position as the top free app overall in Apple’s App Store. This was still the case even despite their recent breach. That means users are still using the platform, likely without knowledge of these recent security flaws.
In light of the breach, Tea has already begun to strengthen its security protocols. The company has still hired third-party cybersecurity experts to remediate the vulnerabilities in its systems.
“We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems.” – Tea
The company has added security measures and states that it has resolved the data in question.
“At this time, we have implemented additional security measures and have fixed the data issue.” – Tea
This recent incident underscores the importance of data security. This is doubly important for applications that deal with private user data. As users increasingly rely on dating apps for connections, it is crucial for companies like Tea to prioritize robust cybersecurity practices to protect user privacy.
