Tea App Breach Database Explored

This article focuses on what database elements were exposed in the Tea App breach and how it happened

What Was Exposed in the  Data base 

A public Firebase storage bucket that held archived image data was left unsecured Anonymous access via browser inspection allowed anyone to see the contents  

The exposed database contained around 72 000 images including 13 000 user verification selfies and photo IDs plus 59 000 images from app posts direct messages and comments  

No structured user tables with names emails or phone numbers were exposed only image files stored in the legacy bucket  

How the Data Leak Happened

Initial reporting came from a 4chan post which claimed to have found the Firebase bucket publicly accessible without authentication  

404 Media verified the post and confirmed the bucket belonged to Tea’s infrastructure and held images that should have been protected  

Security experts and commentators on Reddit described this breach not as a hack but negligence a misconfigured cloud bucket open to public browsing  

Scope of the Database Exposure

The exposed images came from user data archived for law enforcement compliance or internal recordkeeping from early users prior to February 2024  

Tea confirmed that these images were supposed to be deleted after verification but the legacy system retained some copies nonetheless  

Despite the scale of the image leak no database tables containing private contact info or personal identity fields appear to have been exposed  

Why This Is Alarming

User verification required sensitive visual documents like selfies linked to photo IDs yet those were left vulnerable in clear text file storage

While text based fields like usernames phone numbers and emails were not breached images embedded with personal information may still reveal identity indirectly

The lack of encryption or access control on a public cloud bucket is considered gross negligence by cybersecurity professionals on Reddit  

What Tea Did Next

Tea confirmed unauthorized access and said they immediately engaged third party cybersecurity experts to secure systems initial breach reported July 25 2025 and confirmed within hours  

They locked down the exposed bucket and say no further data appears impacted beyond legacy images stored before February 2024  

What Affected Users Should Do

Review any media you previously shared within the app especially identity verification photos

If you no longer trust the platform consider deleting your account entirely

Watch for phishing or malicious links claiming to show leaked content

Stay updated via credible reports and official Tea statements for latest remediation steps

Conclusion

The Tea App breach was rooted in a misconfigured legacy image storage database hosted in Firebase

72 000 images including verification selfies and public content were exposed but no clear evidence suggests personal profile fields were part of the leak

This incident underscores how powerful cloud misconfiguration risks can be even in systems built with privacy goals in mindhttps://manyviral.com/can-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-pass-the-senate/

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