A security hole discovered in both the Facebook Poke and Snapchat messaging programs allows users to retrieve videos and photos, even after those files were deleted from their respective apps.
Facebook launched Poke over the holiday weekend and Snapchat is largely responsible for helping to usher in the quick delete message platform idea.
While both apps promise to delete images, texts and videos immediately after they are received, they can not stop a user from taking a screengrab of those messages. While screengrabs are reported to the sender the company’s have none-the-less touted the privacy features of their programs.
Unfortunately the apps were both caching videos as temporary files on iPhone and other iOS device. Because of caching users with iExplorer or other file system programs installed on their devices can easily find and download those deleted messages.
To view a Snapchat video simply launch a file browsing application, navigate to the “tmp” file and open it. In Facebook Poke you need to avoid watching the video and then go to “library” followed by “caches.” Next navigate to “fbstore” and then to “mediacard.” The Facebook Poke hack is shown above.
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel didn’t seemed concerned with the hacking of his program, while Facebook has promised to come up with a fix immediately.
Should Facebook be quicker to act in securing user privacy the social network could find itself finally overtaking Snapchat in terms of overall use.
Are you surprised that both Snapchat and Facebook Poke overlooked such an easy to manipulate hack?
