Massive Data Leak Hits Women’s Dating App ‘Tea’ Designed to Spot Red Flags in Men; Back-End Storage Reportedly “Vibe-Coded”

Tea App, a platform designed to enhance safety and convenience in women’s dating experiences, has recently encountered a significant data breach, which amusingly highlights its inadequate storage practices.

Massive Data Breach Affects Over 10, 000 Users: Verification Documents Surface Online

The primary aim of the Tea App was to offer a safe haven for women to share their experiences and “spill the tea”about men they dated, thus allowing users to identify potential red flags. Although the platform garnered considerable attention, its approach to data storage proved to be unexpectedly vulnerable, resulting in a substantial leak. Sensitive information belonging to its users became public through a thread on 4chan.

Alert about the Tea App data leak exposing user verification details.

Remarkably, the leaked data included verification documents for numerous users, raising alarm over the developers’ choice of storage. According to the individual who disclosed the breach on 4chan, the app developers utilized Google’s Firebase for backend storage. Alarmingly, the data buckets were configured to be publicly accessible, meaning that anyone could access the contents without authentication. This serious oversight led to a deluge of unauthorized information flooding the internet, currently circulating on platforms like X and Reddit.

Promotional image for a safe anonymous space for sharing insights, highlighting reviews and features like no screenshots. — Safest Space?

A CNET report has uncovered that over 72, 000 images were compromised, including approximately 13, 000 verification documents alongside many images of users. Online commentary on the breach humorously suggested the storage mechanism was “vibe-coded, ” but such a lack of professional oversight is no laughing matter—especially given the sensitive nature of the stored data.

For our readers, it’s crucial to thoroughly evaluate the credibility of any platform before sharing personal information. Our thoughts go out to those impacted by this data leak, emphasizing the importance of vigilance in an increasingly digital world.

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