Mobile messaging firm Snapchat blamed third-party software programs for possible lapses in security that might have resulted in the leak of a user's private photos.

A file that has at least 100,000 Snapchat pictures has been obtained by hackers who are threatening to upload them on the Internet for all to see, according to a report on the Business Insider blog.

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The Snapchat app is a program on mobile devices that allows users to send videos and photos which gets deleted within seconds of receiving the file.

"We can confirm that Snapchat servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks," the firm said in an emailed statement.

The users of the app were "allegedly victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our terms of use precisely because they compromise our users' security."

A representative from the company noted Snapchat's announcement was founded on details of leaked pictures, and that the firm could not confirm whether the cyber thieves had infiltrated third-party programs that contained the stolen Snapchat pictures.

Snapchat, one of the new apps that are competing with Facebook and Twitter, is used widely by teenagers, according to Reuters. Some reports from the media have raised concerns that the file that was stolen could possibly have nude "selfie" photos of teens who anticipated the pictures were to be deleted.

Unauthorized release of pictures could also become taxing for Snapchat, which has already received judgement for its privacy practices. According to reports, the firm would receive $10 billion in a funding round if its money raising campaign is successful.

Third-party services that let users store the Snapchat pictures they receive were possibly breached by the hackers to obtain the photos, according to Business Insider. The report also said that users of 4Chan, the online forum, have already downloaded the files and are making a searchable database of the stolen pictures.

Tagssnapchat, snapchat data breach, Data breach, internet security, 4chan, Selfie, Leak, Nude Photo Leaks, Nude Photo