Hackers blackmail 'cheating' website

MakeEmLaugh · 21-07-2015 06:13AM #1

Hackers styling themselves as 'The Impact Team' gained access to the details of 37 million users of the website Ashley Madison, an online dating website targeted at married people, enabling them to have affairs.

'The Impact Team' demanded the website is shut down, and made the following statement:

We are the Impact Team. We have taken over all systems in your entire office and production domains, all customer information databases, source code repositories, financial records, emails. ‘Shutting down AM [Ashley Madison] and EM Established Men] will cost you, but non-compliance will cost you more: We will release all customer records, profiles with all the customers’ secret sexual fantasies, nude pictures, and conversations and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails.

Some people may think there was something heroic in what these hackers did.

Well, as shitty a thing to do as cheating is, it's not a crime.

Blackmail, however, is a crime. Threatening to release the personal info of millions of people is a crime.

These hackers aren't heroes, they're criminals. It's as simple as that.

Sunnyisland · 21-07-2015 06:16AM

I dident know that website existed, thanks :-)

The_Valeyard · 21-07-2015 06:23AM

You at risk of exposure OP?

Say there are a lot of uncomfortable cheaters out there right now!

MakeEmLaugh · 21-07-2015 06:28AM

The_Valeyard wrote: »

You at risk of exposure OP?

Say there are a lot of uncomfortable cheaters out there right now!

I'd say there's a lot of sexually frustrated people who can't get one person to sleep with them, let alone the requisite two it takes to qualify as having an 'affair'. Those are the ones cheering at this news story.

It's sour grapes.

Greenmachine · 21-07-2015 06:28AM

realies wrote: »

I dident know that website existed, thanks :-)

Now that you know it exist, how likely are you to use it. Guess it depends how comfortable you are with personal info like credit cards being made public.

ch750536 · 21-07-2015 06:48AM

Meh. A group of dubious people with low moral content earning a living through manipulating people online, glad they were hacked.

The_Valeyard · 21-07-2015 06:49AM

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

I'd say there's a lot of sexually frustrated people who can't get one person to sleep with them, let alone the requisite two it takes to qualify as having an 'affair'. Those are the ones cheering at this news story.

It's sour grapes.

I think they did it for profit or for recognition. I'm not saying it's right what they did, but they could make a lot of money from the details they stole on the black market/ deep web. They must have been planning it for a very long time.

Oryx · 21-07-2015 07:23AM

37 million. On one website out of many cheater sites. Sounds to me like cheating is more popular than fidelity.

Badly Drunk Boy · 21-07-2015 08:10AM

Apparently it's the second most popular dating website in the world, after match.com.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 21-07-2015 08:15AM

What's the deep web

RayCon · 21-07-2015 08:17AM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

What's the deep web

I think the crust is thicker and you fit more toppings on it

Riamfada · 21-07-2015 08:43AM

Greenmachine wrote: »

Now that you know it exist, how likely are you to use it. Guess it depends how comfortable you are with personal info like credit cards being made public.

Fake Drivers Licence & an O2 Money Card. Risk free extramarital f**king!

Menas · 21-07-2015 08:44AM

Whatever about giving false names on those sites, I am sure lot of the pictures are real. People will pay to keep them private.

arayess · 21-07-2015 09:10AM

Oryx wrote: »

37 million. On one website out of many cheater sites. Sounds to me like cheating is more popular than fidelity.

I doubt those numbers tbh.
I read there are 40,000 irish member and I find that difficult to believe.

Oryx · 21-07-2015 09:20AM

arayess wrote: »

I doubt those numbers tbh.
I read there are 40,000 irish member and I find that difficult to believe.

I dont. You know a lot more people who cheat than you think you do.

Justice4Adolf · 21-07-2015 09:31AM

Poor Ashley.

RossFixxxed · 21-07-2015 10:01AM

The thing is, even if we all disagree with cheating and can take a moral high ground, this is a very bad thing. What's next? Lists of people who have had abortions, who voted a certain way, who had an STD, who sought help for mental health issues, had addiction problems etc, being leaked or blackmailed?

I'm sure we all don't like cheating, but this is a really bad thing, thinly obfuscated by 'morality'.

Justice4Adolf · 21-07-2015 10:08AM

How would the Impact Team like it if Ashley Madison hacked their website.
They wouldn't like it at all.

Sleepy · 21-07-2015 10:11AM

I'm pretty sure I set up an account on that out of curiosity back in the early 00's when I was single. Like most NSA sites, it was a case of free registration then pay to contact anyone so I never went back to it. Don't remember ever explicitly closing the account or even which not-my-name email address I used to sign up to it.

I'm sure there were thousands of other young lads who did similar. If they're claiming 40,000 Irish accounts it's probably safe to assume that there's less than 400 of them that are actively used.

One eyed Jack · 21-07-2015 10:15AM

Justice4Adolf wrote: »

How would the Impact Team like it if Ashley Madison hacked their website.
They wouldn't like it at all.

Perhaps they might enjoy a bit of back door entry :pac:

Seriously though, anyone who gives their credit card details and all sorts of personal information to a site with such lax security, deserves everything they get IMO.

jester77 · 21-07-2015 10:16AM

Some nice marketing by an American flower company

ixoy · 21-07-2015 10:18AM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Seriously though, anyone who gives their credit card details and all sorts of personal information to a site with such lax security, deserves everything they get IMO.

How are they supposed to know the site has lax security?

NachoBusiness · 21-07-2015 10:19AM

37 million subscribers looking to cheat??

Jaysus, this Ashley Madison must have a pussy like a wizard's sleeve.

steddyeddy · 21-07-2015 10:34AM

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Hackers styling themselves as 'The Impact Team' gained access to the details of 37 million users of the website Ashley Madison, an online dating website targeted at married people, enabling them to have affairs.

'The Impact Team' demanded the website is shut down, and made the following statement:

Some people may think there was something heroic in what these hackers did.

Well, as shitty a thing to do as cheating is, it's not a crime.

Blackmail, however, is a crime. Threatening to release the personal info of millions of people is a crime.

These hackers aren't heroes, they're criminals. It's as simple as that.

Well my moral compass doesn't necessarily link up to what's legal or not. It can be legal and immoral or illegal and moral.

Paramite Pie · 21-07-2015 12:04PM

Stealing credit card info is a big line to cross -- it can cause a lot of damage to the entire household, not just the cheater.

I have no sympathy for the cheater's themselves, but a hacking group targeting something that's not illegal makes me uncomfortable.

arayess · 21-07-2015 12:10PM

sugarman wrote: »

Why? That's roughly 1% of the population

Oryx wrote: »

I dont. You know a lot more people who cheat than you think you do.

I know people cheat , although my own opinion is that most cheating is opportunistic rather than affair-type.

that's said I don't see a website like that having 40,000 irish customers - I'd say it could be 40,000 profiles - but to use the site and actually pay, I'd imagine a lot less.

I'm not on it so in fairness I don't give a hoot

RDM_83 again · 21-07-2015 01:40PM

arayess wrote: »

I know people cheat , although my own opinion is that most cheating is opportunistic rather than affair-type.

that's said I don't see a website like that having 40,000 irish customers - I'd say it could be 40,000 profiles - but to use the site and actually pay, I'd imagine a lot less.

I'm not on it so in fairness I don't give a hoot

Apparently these types of sites are chock full of fake profiles set up by the companies, wonder if the hackers are counting them too.
No sympathy for the company, tiny bit for the users but they brought it on themselves

MakeEmLaugh · 21-07-2015 04:05PM

RDM_83 again wrote: »

No sympathy for the company, tiny bit for the users but they brought it on themselves

So having an affair should be punishable by having your personal details, photographs, credit card information etc. spilled out all over the internet?

That's totalitarian.

21-07-2015 04:23PM

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

So having an affair should be punishable by having your personal details, photographs, credit card information etc. spilled out all over the internet?

That's totalitarian.

All the owners have to do is close down the site if they want to protect their customers.. I think it's great. Apparently, they were charging like 15quid to delete your profile and they never actually deleted any of them.

I'd be glad to see them decide to close.

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 21-07-2015 04:23PM

Paramite Pie wrote: »

Stealing credit card info is a big line to cross -- it can cause a lot of damage to the entire household, not just the cheater.

Stealing information causes no damage to anyone, it's only using or making it public that causes damage

blastman · 21-07-2015 04:26PM

Paramite Pie wrote: »

Stealing credit card info is a big line to cross -- it can cause a lot of damage to the entire household, not just the cheater.

I have no sympathy for the cheater's themselves, but a hacking group targeting something that's not illegal makes me uncomfortable.

Which is why the "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" argument is bullship

On a side note, the lady who appears in Ashley Madison's online ads is a bit tasty!

Hackers blackmail 'cheating' website

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