Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel has come out in defence of his firm following a serious security breach involving the app's Find Friend tool. In an interview with U.S-based Today, the 23-year-old admitted he was under the impression the company had done enough to resolve security issues with the app, but added: 'If you spend your time looking backwards, you're just going to kill yourself'. Security experts claim Spiegel was warned 'months ago' the app had a security hole, yet failed to respond effectively, which is being blamed for the leak of 4.6million user details on Wednesday. Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel, left, has come out in defence of his firm following a security breach involving the app's Find Friend tool, right. According to Spiegel, the tool was abused by hackers to obtain phone numbers . In response, the firm has announced plans to release an updated version of the app that lets users opt out of the feature. The Find Friend tool was developed to help Snapchatters find their friends' usernames by using their mobile numbers. According to Spiegel, this tool was abused by 'someone to find usernames of people that weren’t their friends'. He added that the person targeted had 4.6million friends in their address book, and the hackers used this to find phone numbers. Previous reports have claimed Spiegel was one of the users affected by the hack, and this recent statement adds weight to the rumours it may even been his friend's list that was compromised. However, this has not been confirmed. The tool is already optional, but the app update will make it possible for users to explicitly opt out of using the feature. On Christmas Day Australian security . research group, Gibson Security revealed details of a security hole . affecting the Snapchat site. Following news that millions of Snapchat accounts were hacked, developers have created an online tool that lets users check if their details have been compromised. Called GS Lookup - Snapchat, pictured, the tool lets users enter their username before scanning the leaked list for a match . A second tool, called Snapcheck.org, pictured, lets users enter either their username or phone number to check if their account details are on the list. The leaked list only featured details from U.S.-based accounts . Anonymous hackers released a database . of 4.6million Snapchat account details on New Year's Day. The leak came a week after Snapchat claimed it had . introduced measures to fix . a security glitch, which it was told could result in users' personal . information being put at risk. The group released the database via a website called SnapchatDB, giving people . the option to download the list of usernames and phone numbers as well . as their location. Hackers redacted the last two digits of each number, though, claiming . the stunt was designed to 'raise awareness' of the issue, not to . 'encourage abuse' for individual users. However, they added that they would release the original list in 'certain circumstances.' The . security group revealed how the vulnerability on the site could be . manipulated and added that Snapchat did not respond to their warnings . when they raised the issue months ago. After Gibson published its findings, Snapchat said it took user privacy seriously and replied in a blogpost. It said: 'Theoretically, if someone . were able to upload a huge set of phone numbers, like every number in an . area code, or every possible number in the U.S., they could create a . database of the results and match usernames to phone numbers that way. Yet on New Year's Day, anonymous hackers released a database of numbers of phone numbers they had obtained from the app. The database was released via a website called SnapchatDB, and hackers gave people . the option to download the list of usernames and phone numbers, as well . as their location. The . hackers redacted the last two digits of each number, though, claiming . the stunt was designed to 'raise awareness' of the issue, not to . 'encourage abuse' for individual users. A group of anonymous hackers released the phone numbers of 4.6 million Snapchat users on New Year's Day in the U.S. to 'raise awareness' of the site's security vulnerabilties . In . a statement on Snapchat DB, the group of hackers said: 'This . information was acquired through the recently patched Snapchat exploit . and is being shared with the public to raise awareness on the issue. 'The . company was too reluctant at patching the exploit until they knew it . was too late and companies that we trust with our information should be . more careful when dealing with it. 'For now, we have censored the last two digits of the phone numbers in order to minimise spam and abuse.' The group said it would consider releasing the original database, without the redacted digits, 'under certain circumstances'. The hackers redacted the last two digits of each phone number on the list to avoid hacked account holders being abused. However, they later said in a statement they would consider releasing the original database 'under certain circumstances' Snapchat is a photo messaging app. It allows users to take photos, record videos and add messages and drawings. Messages . are known as snaps and users can set a time limit on how long . recipients can view their snap, ranging from one to 10 seconds. The snap . is then deleted from the recipient's phone and erased from Snapchat's . servers. Google Play lists the app as having been downloaded between 10 million and 50 million times. Following the news of the hack, developers created online tools that let users check if their details had been compromised. One . tool, called GS Lookup - Snapchat, let users enter their username . before scanning the leaked list for a match. If the account features on . the list, the person's corresponding phone number would be displayed. A . second tool, called Snapcheck.org, let users enter either their . username or phone number to check if their account details made the . list. On Christmas Day an Australian security firm Gibson Security revealed a vulnerability with the site, which could lead to users' personal information being leaked. Snapchat said it had taken action to address the issue .
Evan Spiegel was warned his Snapchat app had a security hole .
The firm responded by issuing a blog post stating it took privacy seriously .
A week later hackers targeted the app to prove the vulnerability still existed .
Some 4.6million Snapchat account details were leaked during the hack .
Spiegel blamed the hack on the 'abuse of the app's Find Friend tool'
The database includes phone numbers, usernames and locations .
Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel has come out in defence of his firm following a serious security breach involving the app's Find Friend tool. In an interview with U.S-based Today, the 23-year-old admitted he was under the impression the company had done enough to resolve security issues with the app, but added: 'If you spend your time looking backwards, you're just going to kill yourself'. Security experts claim Spiegel was warned 'months ago' the app had a security hole, yet failed to respond effectively, which is being blamed for the leak of 4.6million user details on Wednesday. Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel, left, has come out in defence of his firm following a security breach involving the app's Find Friend tool, right. According to Spiegel, the tool was abused by hackers to obtain phone numbers . In response, the firm has announced plans to release an updated version of the app that lets users opt out of the feature. The Find Friend tool was developed to help Snapchatters find their friends' usernames by using their mobile numbers. According to Spiegel, this tool was abused by 'someone to find usernames of people that weren’t their friends'. He added that the person targeted had 4.6million friends in their address book, and the hackers used this to find phone numbers. Previous reports have claimed Spiegel was one of the users affected by the hack, and this recent statement adds weight to the rumours it may even been his friend's list that was compromised. However, this has not been confirmed. The tool is already optional, but the app update will make it possible for users to explicitly opt out of using the feature. On Christmas Day Australian security . research group, Gibson Security revealed details of a security hole . affecting the Snapchat site. Following news that millions of Snapchat accounts were hacked, developers have created an online tool that lets users check if their details have been compromised. Called GS Lookup - Snapchat, pictured, the tool lets users enter their username before scanning the leaked list for a match . A second tool, called Snapcheck.org, pictured, lets users enter either their username or phone number to check if their account details are on the list. The leaked list only featured details from U.S.-based accounts . Anonymous hackers released a database . of 4.6million Snapchat account details on New Year's Day. The leak came a week after Snapchat claimed it had . introduced measures to fix . a security glitch, which it was told could result in users' personal . information being put at risk. The group released the database via a website called SnapchatDB, giving people . the option to download the list of usernames and phone numbers as well . as their location. Hackers redacted the last two digits of each number, though, claiming . the stunt was designed to 'raise awareness' of the issue, not to . 'encourage abuse' for individual users. However, they added that they would release the original list in 'certain circumstances.' The . security group revealed how the vulnerability on the site could be . manipulated and added that Snapchat did not respond to their warnings . when they raised the issue months ago. After Gibson published its findings, Snapchat said it took user privacy seriously and replied in a blogpost. It said: 'Theoretically, if someone . were able to upload a huge set of phone numbers, like every number in an . area code, or every possible number in the U.S., they could create a . database of the results and match usernames to phone numbers that way. Yet on New Year's Day, anonymous hackers released a database of numbers of phone numbers they had obtained from the app. The database was released via a website called SnapchatDB, and hackers gave people . the option to download the list of usernames and phone numbers, as well . as their location. The . hackers redacted the last two digits of each number, though, claiming . the stunt was designed to 'raise awareness' of the issue, not to . 'encourage abuse' for individual users. A group of anonymous hackers released the phone numbers of 4.6 million Snapchat users on New Year's Day in the U.S. to 'raise awareness' of the site's security vulnerabilties . In . a statement on Snapchat DB, the group of hackers said: 'This . information was acquired through the recently patched Snapchat exploit . and is being shared with the public to raise awareness on the issue. 'The . company was too reluctant at patching the exploit until they knew it . was too late and companies that we trust with our information should be . more careful when dealing with it. 'For now, we have censored the last two digits of the phone numbers in order to minimise spam and abuse.' The group said it would consider releasing the original database, without the redacted digits, 'under certain circumstances'. The hackers redacted the last two digits of each phone number on the list to avoid hacked account holders being abused. However, they later said in a statement they would consider releasing the original database 'under certain circumstances' Snapchat is a photo messaging app. It allows users to take photos, record videos and add messages and drawings. Messages . are known as snaps and users can set a time limit on how long . recipients can view their snap, ranging from one to 10 seconds. The snap . is then deleted from the recipient's phone and erased from Snapchat's . servers. Google Play lists the app as having been downloaded between 10 million and 50 million times. Following the news of the hack, developers created online tools that let users check if their details had been compromised. One . tool, called GS Lookup - Snapchat, let users enter their username . before scanning the leaked list for a match. If the account features on . the list, the person's corresponding phone number would be displayed. A . second tool, called Snapcheck.org, let users enter either their . username or phone number to check if their account details made the . list. On Christmas Day an Australian security firm Gibson Security revealed a vulnerability with the site, which could lead to users' personal information being leaked. Snapchat said it had taken action to address the issue .
breach involving the app's Find Friend tool. In was warned 'months ago' the app had a security firm following a security breach involving the Spiegel, the tool was abused by hackers to obtain details of a security hole . affecting the 4.6million Snapchat account details on New Year's download the list of usernames and phone numbers the vulnerability on the site could be . findings, Snapchat said it took user privacy they had obtained from the app. The database was