Hackers claim to have exposed Ashley Madison users on Web | Inquirer Technology

Hackers claim to have exposed Ashley Madison users on Web

/ 07:26 PM August 19, 2015

FILE - A June 10, 2015 photo from files showing Ashley Madison's Korean web site on a computer screen in Seoul, South Korea. Hackers claim to have leaked a massive database of users from Ashley Madison, a matchmaking website for cheating spouses. In a statement released Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, a group calling itself Impact Team said the site's owners had not bowed to their demands. "Now everyone gets to see their data," the statement said. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

A June 10, 2015 photo from files showing Ashley Madison’s Korean web site on a computer screen in Seoul, South Korea. Hackers claim to have leaked a massive database of users from Ashley Madison, a matchmaking website for cheating spouses. AP

LONDON—Hackers claim to have leaked a massive list of users from Ashley Madison, a matchmaking website for cheating spouses, saying its owners had refused to bow to their demands to close the site.

A message posted online said “Time’s Up!” and accused parent company Avid Life Media of deceit and incompetence.

Article continues after this advertisement

“Now everyone gets to see their data,” the statement said.

FEATURED STORIES

Toronto-based Avid Life Media, Inc. said in a statement Tuesday that it was aware of the claim and was investigating.

“The criminal, or criminals, involved in this act have appointed themselves as the moral judge, juror, and executioner,” the company said.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Associated Press wasn’t immediately able to determine the authenticity of the leaked documents, but several security analysts who have scanned the data say they believe the dump is genuine.

Article continues after this advertisement

One of them, TrustedSec CEO Dave Kennedy, said the dump included full names, passwords, street addresses, credit card information and “an extensive amount of internal data.”

Article continues after this advertisement

In a blog post, he said it seemed the hackers had access to Ashley Madison “for a long period of time.”

Errata Security CEO Rob Graham said he had counted more than 36 million accounts, although many appeared to be bogus. The overwhelming majority of the users were male, he said in a separate blog post.

Article continues after this advertisement

The hackers’ motives aren’t entirely clear, although they have accused Ashley Madison of faking female profiles to keep male users interested. In its statement, Avid Life Media accused the hackers of seeking to impose “a personal notion of virtue on all of society.”

A call to Avid Life Media wasn’t immediately returned. The hackers didn’t immediately return messages.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TOPICS: Ashley Madison, hacking, Inc., Internet, Web
TAGS: Ashley Madison, hacking, Inc., Internet, Web

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.