The company behind Ashley Madison, an online dating service marketed to people trying to cheat on their spouses, said Monday that its site had been breached by hackers who may have obtained personal data about the service's millions of members. The group of hackers behind the attack, going by the name Impact Team, said they had stolen information on the 37 million members of Ashley Madison and would publish the names of users if the website did not make a policy change.
It's an unusual and apparently very popular dating website for those seeking extramarital relations. It gains attention by, among other things, wrapping itself in a social science mantle and publishing data about the frequency and location of cheaters across America, for anyone who happens to be interested, without, of course, mentioning any names.
The breach was first reported Sunday by Brian Krebs, a reporter who covers online security. Krebs said the hackers got a hold of "sensitive internal data" not only for Ashley Madison but also for other hookup sites owned by the company: Cougar Life, which appeals to "single moms and sexy singles looking for a young stud," and Established Men, which promises to connect "young, beautiful women with successful men.
The hackers appear to have leaked only a small percentage of users' information. They promised to release more information later if Ashley Madison did not change an aspect of its website that may seem obscure to regular users: its deletion policy. But the hackers say the user information is never actually deleted β suggesting that the hacking may have come from inside the company.
In a statement, the corporate parent of Ashley Madison, Avid Life Media of Toronto, acknowledged the site had been breached. Ashley Madison said when users delete accounts, all information is erased.
