“The group of hackers that previously stole massive amounts of user data from popular cheating website Ashley Madison appear to have carried out their threat to publish that data on the Internet, releasing almost 10 gigabytes containing numerous details about the site’s customers on Tuesday,” Rishi Iyengar reports for TIME Magazine. “A total of 9.7 gigabytes of data stolen from the controversial website — which boasts the slogan ‘Life is short. Have an affair’ — was published to the dark web (an encrypted section of the Internet that requires special software to use) and is only accessible through a Tor browser, Wired magazine reported. The data dump reportedly includes the login details of about 32 million users — all seeking extramarital or illicit affairs — and also provides a staggering amount of information such as their names, email and street addresses, how much they have spent on the site and even what they are looking for in a potential cheating partner.”
“While the hackers’ main objective is to expose the site’s customers for their questionable morals, they also targeted what they say are ALM’s fraudulent business practices. While they had earlier said that the $19 fee Ashley Madison charges customers to wipe their user data clean does not actually get rid of the information completely, the post announcing Tuesday’s dump contained additional allegations,” Iyengar reports. “‘Find someone you know in here? Keep in mind the site is a scam with thousands of fake female profiles,’ the post — titled ‘Time’s Up!’ — reads. ’90-95% of the actual users are male. Chances are your man signed up on the world’s biggest affair site, but never had one. He just tried to. If that distinction matters.'”
“Avid Life Media released a statement of its own late Tuesday, condemning the cyberattack and saying they are ‘actively monitoring and investigating this situation’ while cooperating with law-enforcement authorities in the U.S. and Canada, where the company is headquartered.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Assuming it’s mostly text, 9.7GB is a lot of customer names, email, street addresses, and credit card transactions! Some 30+ million, according to reports. And this release happened on the very same day that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved “Female Viagra,” no less!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “STR” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
I just want to look up all my friends. lol
Girlfriend?
This is getting interesting.
Your wife? Grandpa? ok j/k 😉
OHHHH!!!! Divorce courts and divorce attorneys are going to be busy this year!
InYourFaceBook
The stereotype of a computer hacker is some dude who can’t get laid. Not only are these AM users already married, they’re trying to get action on the side too.
So, not surprised that this site in particular was targeted.
The computer geeks are the hackers, not the AM users :/ get it?
Stereotype still intact.
Or hacker(s) could be disgruntled AM user(s) who still couldn’t get any and are now just pissed!
And just learned Comp Sci/Hacking overnight? Come on.. Gibberish
It’s you who doesn’t get what I’m suggesting, which is that hackers may have targeted AM in part because they’re pissed off that these people are not only already married and got or are still getting laid, these users are trying to get laid even more.
When you’re married for a long time, sometimes the wife no longer wants it – especially after menopause sets in – this is why husbands might think of straying. Because, like your “computer hackers,” they are NOT getting laid at home. In my experience, and the experience of most of my friends, men continue to want sex late into life, but many women do not, especially after childbearing age. People always blame the husband as if he’s some sex fiend. They never think about the frigid wife. Of course this is not true in all cases and some women continue to want sex and intimacy and couples live in fidelity all their lives. Other husbands’ sense of morality cause them to never stray despite never getting any real sex after age 50 or so.
Something for us all to look forward to – NOT!
No wonder those guys with means are known for trading in the wife for a newer model! Or the wife has her own life with book clubs, tennis, and bridge, and looks the other way while the husband maintains girlfriend(s).
Think Bill and Hillary Clinton, for example.
“If you don’t get it at home ya gonna go lookin’ ” Gregg Brown
i’m ruined
One person’s name you’ll never fins on this site, Rush Limbaugh. After all, Rush just marries his.
Wow…did that stretch leave any marks????
Not as prominent as the one’s Rush left on your ass.
OK, I’m impressed you were able to pull your head out of your ass long enough to try and examine mine.
Too bad you confused it with one of your boyfriends.
(I know what you’re thinking….not too bad for HIM!)
Don’t worry, I’m sure when SketchyOnlineMexicanOxycontinPharmacy.com gets hacked, Limbaugh will be on the list.
I’m wondering if this will get much press. Because, you know, the people reporting on it have a fairly good chance of being in that database somewhere…
Genius!
[Must-stop-sardonically-laughing]
There has been some controversy as to whether this data is for realz or not. But the great Brian Krebs has found verification at least some of the data is real. Note he warns that finding a familiar name in the data does not equal someone you know actually being the source of that data seeing as lying about one’s self is standard protocol when cheating on a loved one.
Was the Ashley Madison Database Leaked?
Personal POV: Don’t cheat. If you must have an extracurricular relationship, have the bravery to at least inform the person who is likely to be hurt. Honesty is profoundly useful, good, important, meaningful and kind compared to being just-another-coward-liar.
Not that the article isn’t interesting, but what does it have to do with Apple?
Look at the relative number of hits/comments MDN collects.
Yeah, I know, sex (and politics) sells around here, but sometimes it’s more blatant than others.
Oh, the irony. Or are they too geeky to see it? “[T]he hackers’ main objective is to expose the site’s customers for their questionable morals” by demonstrating their own morals by illegally hacking into the site and trying to extort AM’s owners. Uh huh, uh huh. Pinkie, are you thinking what I’m thinking? Man, you just can’t get better entertainment on boob-tube…
I’m sure that as we speak, someone is grepping that list for politicians and preachers. Carlos Danger is about to have a lot of company.
-jcr
Josh Duggar is on the list. Surprise Surprise