Noel Biderman - H 2014
AP ImagesHackers targeting Ashley Madison, a dating website for adulterers, have reportedly followed through on their threat to post all of the site’s user information online for the world to see.
On Tuesday, account details, credit card information and other personal data of Ashley Madison members was reportedly leaked to the web using what Wired describes to be “an Onion address accessible only through the Tor browser.”
According to Wired, the 9.7 gigabyte file was accompanied by a statement from the hackers, who refer to themselves as the “Impact Team” that first invaded the site in July and threatened to release private data online if Ashley Madison and its companion website Established Men didn’t shut down. Avid Life Media, the parent company of both sites, ignored the initial warning, but got rid of the $19 deletion fee it had originally upheld to allow users to delete their accounts on their own accord.
“Avid Life Media has failed to take down Ashley Madison and Established Men,” Impact Team wrote in a statement Tuesday. “We have explained the fraud, deceit, and stupidity of ALM and their members. Now everyone gets to see their data. … Keep in mind the site is a scam with thousands of fake female profiles. See ashley madison [sic] fake profile lawsuit; 90-95% of 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.”
The statement continued, “Find yourself in here? It was ALM that failed you and lied to you. Prosecute them and claim damages. Then move on with your life. Learn your lesson and make amends. Embarrassing now, but you’ll get over it.”
