Trending news online: A dating website Ashley Madison website hacked on Monday. The website that helps married people cheat has been hit by hackers who threatened to release information about millions of customers.
Ashley Madison, which uses the advertising slogan “Life is short. Have an affair,” said Monday it had been attacked and some user data was stolen.
So far, though, it isn’t easy to find the exposed cheaters online. That could change soon if the hackers decide to publish the information on a public website.
Brian Krebs, the blogger who first reported the breach, said the hackers were threatening to release all Ashley Madison’s customer records if the website isn’t shut down.
The hackers called themselves the “Impact Team,” and the potential release includes “profiles with all the customers’ and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails.”
Ashley Madison is a dating website, with one twist: Instead of connecting eligible singles, it caters to married people interested in having an affair. The site claims to have 37 million members, and has in the past bragged about its data security.
The site is an obvious target for hackers. After all, its databases have enormous potential for use in blackmail schemes.