A month after threatening owners to shut down the site, hackers fulfill their promise
Making good on a threat issued a month ago, hackers compromised the data of popular cheating website, Ashley Madison yesterday. Account details, email info, addresses, login information, names and other information were published on the site yesterday, exposing some of the 32 million users of the site that brands itself as “the premiere site for married men to find the perfect affair partner”. Avid Life Media, who own the Toronto based site, have now confirmed that hackers did compromise their data.
36 million accounts and 33 emails addresses all got caught up in the hacking scandal. The hackers who identify themselves as “The Impact Team” posted a message stating,
“Avid Life Media has failed to take down Ashley Madison. We have explained the fraud, deceit and stupidity of ALM and their members. Now everyone gets to see their data.”
Ashley Madison Reps have confirmed the compromise and are condemning the attack that is being investigated. “This event is not an act of hacktivism, it is an act of criminality. It is an illegal action against the individual members of AshleyMadison.com, as well as any freethinking people who choose to engage in fully lawful online activities.”
In terms of privacy, and the increase in web hacking, Tech Expert, Jason Murdock of Murdock Technology says that all websites are susceptible to being compromised. “Internet security in IT is always a major issue for most websites and businesses. Constant monitoring through intrusion detection systems and closing any holes that can be exploited is always recommended.”
-Abesi Manyando(@abesipr)
