Man Sentenced to Six Years for Hacking 750+ Women's Snapchat Accounts for Nudes

An Illinois man has received a 76-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release for his role in hacking the Snapchat accounts of over 750 women. The primary motive behind the intrusions, which occurred between May 2020 and February 2021, was to steal nude and semi-nude photos of the victims.

The defendant, 26-year-old Kyle Svara, pleaded guilty in February after initially being charged in December. He admitted to employing various social engineering tactics, including phishing, to obtain Snapchat access codes from his victims. Posing as a representative of Snap Inc. and utilizing anonymized phone numbers, Svara targeted more than 4,500 individuals during the period of his illicit activities.

Once Svara gained unauthorized access to the accounts, he proceeded to download explicit images from approximately 517 women. In a further malicious act, he activated two-factor authentication on the compromised accounts, effectively locking the rightful owners out and preventing them from regaining access.

Investigators also uncovered disturbing evidence of Svara's involvement with child sexual abuse material (CSAM). A search of his Mega account revealed approximately 530 images and 600 videos depicting CSAM. During an interview with investigators, Svara initially denied any knowledge of hacking Snapchat, falsely claimed no interest in child pornography, and denied seeking out or accessing CSAM. However, court documents later confirmed his active collection, distribution, and solicitation of such material.

Further investigation revealed that Svara advertised his hacking services on the dark web, trading the stolen images and offering to "get into girls snap accounts." He directed potential clients to communicate with him via the Kik encrypted messaging app, demonstrating a clear intent to profit from his illegal activities.

One notable client of Svara's was Steve Waithe, a former Northeastern University track and field coach. Waithe hired Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of students at Northeastern and members of the women's track and field and soccer teams. Waithe was subsequently sentenced in March 2024 to five years in prison for his involvement in cyber fraud, cyberstalking, and sextortion.

Beyond his paid services, Svara also independently targeted numerous women in his local area of Plainfield, Illinois, including neighbors, family friends, classmates, and even his own personal friends. His victims also extended to students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, indicating a widespread and indiscriminate pattern of abuse.

This case underscores the severe legal repercussions for unauthorized access to personal accounts and the theft of sensitive data. The prosecution highlighted the gravity of Svara's actions, particularly his involvement with CSAM, leading to a significant prison sentence that serves as a stark warning to others engaging in similar cybercrimes.