Snapchat data breach: what happened and what to do
Last reviewed July 23, 2026 · 5 records on file · sources listed below
An Illinois man was sentenced for hacking over 500 women's Snapchat accounts via phishing, stealing intimate images and personal data.
If you have an account with Snapchat, assume the exposed details are circulating. The practical risk today is rarely the leak itself — it is the calls and messages that use those details to sound legitimate.
What we have on file
Every entry below is a catalogued record with its original source. We do not paraphrase beyond what the source reports.
Personal Information · Hacking
Michael Yackovich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit online wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for hacking Snapchat accounts and trading intimate images online, resulting in compromised personal data and privacy violations.
Personal Information · Phishing
An Illinois man pleaded guilty to phishing the Snapchat access codes of hundreds of women to steal nude or semi-nude photos, including selling them to a former Northeastern University track coach.
Personal Information · Hacking
Kyle Svara was charged with hacking into the Snapchat accounts of nearly 600 women to steal and sell their nude photos online, including to a former Northeastern University track coach.
Personal Information · Hacking
Seven defendants were indicted for hacking Snapchat accounts and sharing sexually explicit images, victimizing at least 33 users. One defendant pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.
What to do
- Change the password anywhere you reused itThe exposure matters most when the same password protects your email, because email is how everything else gets reset.
- Treat every call and text about this breach as a scam until proven otherwiseNo company will ask you for a one-time code, a PIN or a password. Hang up and call the number printed on your card.
- Read your statements for the next three monthsCard fraud usually starts with a small test charge. Catching that one is what stops the large one.
- Give your email account a password nothing else usesIt is the account that can reset all the others, so it is the one worth protecting first.
Questions people ask
Was my data in the Snapchat breach?
Having an account alone does not confirm exposure. The reliable check is whether your email address appears in the leaked datasets in circulation — that takes seconds and does not require your password.
Is it too late to do anything?
No. Leaked personal details do not expire, and neither does the defence: a unique password on your email, and a fraud alert on your credit file, still work years later.
Will Snapchat contact me?
They may. But scammers contact people too, using exactly these breach details to sound convincing. Never act on an inbound call or text — call back on a number you already had.
701 organisations catalogued
Records are catalogued from public reporting and linked to their original source. iTellYou is not affiliated with the organisations listed. If you represent one of them and something here is inaccurate, write to us and we will correct it.