A Snapchat account hacker has been sentenced to 76 months in prison after illegally accessing 517 women’s accounts and downloading private nude or semi-nude images.
Kyle Svara, 27, of Oswego, Illinois, used social engineering to obtain Snapchat security codes from victims. He then used the codes to enter their accounts, lock them out and take their private content.
The sentence also includes three years of supervised release.
Snapchat account hacker contacted thousands of victims
Between May 2020 and February 2021, Svara collected victims’ email addresses, phone numbers and Snapchat usernames.
He reportedly used anonymised phone numbers to pose as a Snapchat representative. He then sent messages to more than 4,500 people in an effort to obtain their account access codes.
Around 570 women reportedly provided the codes. Prosecutors said Svara subsequently accessed 517 Snapchat accounts without authorisation.
Two-factor authentication used to lock victims out
After accessing the accounts, Svara activated two-factor authentication to prevent victims from regaining control.
He then downloaded private photos from the accounts. Prosecutors said he sold, traded or shared the images online, including through internet forums and social media platforms.
Svara also reportedly offered account-hacking services to others.
Former university coach hired Svara
One person who allegedly used Svara’s services was Steve Waithe, a former track and field coach at Northeastern University.
Waithe reportedly paid Svara to hack Snapchat accounts belonging to women he had coached or knew personally. He was sentenced in March 2024 to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
In addition to accounts connected to Waithe, Svara allegedly targeted women living near Plainfield, Illinois, including neighbours, classmates, friends and students at Colby College in Maine.
Investigators found CSAM in cloud account
Investigators also found 530 images and 600 videos containing child sexual abuse material in Svara’s Mega cloud-storage account.
Svara was charged in December 2025. He pleaded guilty in February 2026 to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and false statements related to child pornography.
US District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy imposed the 76-month prison sentence.
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