Hundreds of thousands of nude Snapchat photos and videos will be published in a searchable dataset on October 12, a hacker on the web community 4chan has announced, although questions remain over the claim’s legitimacy.

In what 4chan users have dubbed "The Snappening", 200,000 self-destructing pictures, along with user IDs, were allegedly accessed earlier this week via the Snapsave Android app which allows users to store their pictures.

Business Insider has said that figure is closer to 100,000, and that it was in fact SnapSaved, the now defunct web client for Snapchat, that was compromised.

The collection of images was posted on viralpop.com, a phoney competition website, and though that website was shut down soon after, thousands had already downloaded the database.

Thousands of Snapchat images have been dumped online

In a statement, Snapchat said it was not hacked, instead pointing the finger at third party applications such as Snapsave.

It said: “We can confirm that Snapchat’s servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks. Snapchatters were 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.

“We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed.”

This lot of leaked images recalls last month’s so-called 'Fappening' scandal in which a hacker posted on 4chan hundreds of naked images of celebrities.

Jennifer Lawrence, the most high-profile celebrity whose intimate photos were illegally released on the internet, this week told Vanity Fair: “It’s not a scandal. It is a sex crime.”

Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes Show all 20 1 /20 Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk.I thought, 'Why is 'cakewalk' stuck in my head?'" - On why she fell at the Oscars 2013 Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I finally get to make out with Christian Bale and he's a really fat guy. He's Fatman, not Batman." - American Hustle director David O Russell lets slip J-Law's on-set words to US Magazine Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I can’t even... It’s like past mad, it’s this weird other emotion … I feel like my heart just fell out." - To presenter Shaun Robinson after she spoiled the Homeland Season 3 finale Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “He was at a party, and I turned into a perverted guy. I was like following him into rooms and staring at his ass…He asked me if I was on mushrooms and I said, ‘No. I’m dead sober. This is just me.’” - on stalking John Stamos at a party Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I think any time a girl has to show her thighs, it's never going to be her favorite look. I love the dress...if someone else wore it." - To Good Morning America Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I’m a horrible dancer! I’m like a dad at prom. I look like Gumby getting electrocuted.” - On whether you'll see her twerking any time soon Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I just went to the doctor today, I got a chest X-ray of my lungs and discovered that my breasts are uneven.” - Jimmy Kimmel Live PA Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I wrap myself up to look like Lord Voldemort so that they can’t see anything because the thought of giving them a picture that will make them money absolutely infuriates me.” - Entertainment Weekly Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “If I don’t have anything to do all day, I might not even put my pants on.” - Glamour Magazine Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I think people are fascinated with breasts that bounce. They are so used to seeing [fake ones]. People are confused [that mine bounce]! My breasts have a life of their own.” - The Sun Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you.” - 2013 Oscars acceptance speech Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I really would not call myself a fashion icon. I would call myself somebody who gets dressed by professionals. [It's like], 'Dance, monkey, dance' right on the red carpet.' I would call me more of a monkey.” - To E! Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go f– yourself.” - To Harper's Bizarre Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I was surprised at how little camel toe problem there was. I was expecting a lot more." - To E! on her Hunger Games jumpsuit Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "If I were just your average 23-year-old girl and I called the police to say that there were strange men sleeping on my lawn and following me to Starbucks, they would leap into action." - To Vogue on the paparazzi Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I’m the fastest pee-er ever. I’m famous for it.” - Rolling Stone Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I can see the McDonalds right there. Wait, hold on, I didn’t say fries! I’m seeing you talk and all I’m seeing is me being pissed I didn’t get fries. And you have to remind them about ketchup because they never include ketchup, you have to ask for it. Cheapskates.” - Being interviewed on the Oscars red carpet Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I want to play a character I’ve never been before-a crazy serial killer like Charlize Theron in Monster. I’d love to have to shave my head.” Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “This isn’t like an auction, right? You guys aren’t going to take it away?” - Backstage at the Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “This isn’t like an auction, right? You guys aren’t going to take it away?” - Backstage at the Oscars Reuters

In this case, there are questions over whether some of the naked images due to be leaked are of people under the age of 18. If true, the publishing of these photos would be a dissemination of child abuse images, and downloading would also warrant criminal charges.

Still there remains a question over the legitimacy of this hack-and-leak to be, with reports claiming that one of the images posted as proof can be found from a different source.