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THE BLACKMAIL OF Ashley Madison users has begun.
On Tuesday, a huge trove of data stolen from the extramarital-affairs website’s servers was leaked online.
As well as confidential internal documents, this included user data on the site’s 32 million users.
The information ranges from email addresses and financial details to physical descriptions and detailed sexual preferences.
According to multiple media reports, blackmailers have started trawling the database, widely available online, in an attempt to extort the users on it.
Bitcoin-news outlet CoinDesk was sent an email from a reader who apparently had an account on Ashley Madison. The reader had received an email from a would-be blackmailer called “Team GrayFlay” threatening to expose them unless they sent the extorter some bitcoins.
Here’s part of the message they received:
Unfortunately your data was leaked in the recent hacking of Ashley Madison and I now have your information. If you would like to prevent me from finding and sharing this information with your significant other send exactly 2.00000054 bitcoins (approx. value $450 USD) to the following address…
Meanwhile, New Zealand publication Stuff.co.nz is reporting that an Auckland man has received a blackmail demand from Team GrayFlay.
“Consider how expensive a divorce lawyer is,” the blackmailer wrote. “If you are no longer in a committed relationship then think about how this will affect your social standing amongst family and friends.”
These may be the first blackmail attempts, but they are highly unlikely to be the only ones. The user-info dump is fairly easy to find online, meaning that countless amoral opportunists are bound to try and take advantage of it in the weeks and months ahead.
After all, if Team GrayFlay — or any other blackmailer, for that matter — emailed all 32 million account holders, and just 0.01% of them agreed to pay up the $450 (288-pound) ransom, it would still earn them $1.4 million (0.9 million pounds).
As unpleasant as this financial blackmail may be, it’s not the worst aspect of the hack. The dump also contains about 15,000 US military and government email addresses. Many are definitely fake — users are not required to verify their email address upon signing up — but it’s clear there are thousands of users with sensitive jobs who have been compromised by the leak.
Intelligence agencies are probably already “digging” through the data and considering how it can be used to leverage the people named within it, one cybersecurity executive told The Hill.
- Rob Price.
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Maybe they could hack into government systems so we could get the fennely report which is probably finished but won’t be released until after next election so fine gael won’t have to care.
“This government is fully committed to keeping its promise of openness and transparency, and as such the Fennelly report will be publ……..QUICK LOOK OVER THERE, AN UNRELATED LEAKED STORY…..”
That Kevin. I would love,
Are we supposed to feel sorry for cheaters? All i have to say is Ha-Ha, toolz
It’s very unfair, you don’t know the personal circumstances of those people and what the leak will do their family life will do greater damage than creating an account warrants. Not to mention the murder and suicides that could potentially occur. There are email addresses data belonging to people who live in places where the punishment for adultery is death, I wouldn’t want to be explaining the ins and outs of email verification procedures to the Saudi mutaween.
I suppose the act of cheating in itself would be the bigger issue here. I’d imagine the fact that say you cheated would cause the suicides or murder, these hacks are merely speeding up the finding out moment. Saudi Arabia have many backward laws including the adultery one so why in the world would you start an affair online in such a repressive country? We have a right to privacy but does that right to privacy go aboves your wife or husbands right to know. It’s a toughie but I’m kind of siding with those who’s spouse cheated on them as they are the immidate victims.
A huge proportion of people on that site are probably just curious or voyeuristic. I wouldn’t read too much into it. I’d imagine a lot of the members on the site are horny teenagers that used daddy’s credit card to register too.
If ya dont wanna get caught.. dont cheat. Simples
True that. I saw a HR deperment email sign up, makes no sense. an affair wouldn’t be for me but I suppose I do have to get married first!
Get out of that Dr Grinspoon. ‘Simple’ ! It’s not that simple unless you have no sex drive. Sex is the reason we are all here today, it’s the most natural thing in the world. We are not made to be entirely monogamous, although that’s how modern western society expects us to be. It’s inevitable that people will be promiscuous. (And I refrain from using the word ‘cheating’ as that’s an Americanism. I agree that it isn’t a nice thing for the other half, so why not stick to our own phrases, like – doing the dirt. At the end of the day it’s not an exam or a game, so the word ‘cheating’ doesn’t make sense)
And there’s a good chance many are not married in the first place but are looking to hook up with married people for kicks of some kind.
Tommy’s clearly never been *ripped off* (that any better for ya mr anti-Americanisms) you are kinda right but at the end of the day, if you find somebody who you are happy with the need to get your end away elsewhere just isnt a factor.
Unless ofcoarse your an a$$hole, or your significant other is… but even then, dump ‘em then go get laid elsewhere
I don’t think it’s any if my business if someone else cheats . If someone was preaching on morals taking a high moral stance on the sanctity of marriage in public life but was having affairs that may be public interest but otherwise it doesn’t concern me who cheats on who.
What if I Want to cheat AND not get caught?
Hard luck resel you risk it and maybe yes maybe no you get away with it.
I’ve discussed it with my wife… What you’re asking for in a bribe buys a hell of a lot of jewelry and shoes. As such we respectfully decline your offer.
@Drew – a lot of shoes – for US $450 ? ….lol..that wouldn’t buy you a pair of Kanye’s in BT yesterday. ..
Drew don’t insult women maybe yours is a gold digger or you are an idiot not worth knowing.
I’m assuming they come back asking for more once they realise they have hit on someone willing to pay… That’s how blackmail tends to work.
And shoe stores…
Some papers are reporting that they guy who surprised his wife with her pregnancy that she later miscarried was an active user of this site. I’d say that may halt their paid vlogging days if true !
Apparently the whole “pregnancy” was a hoax, doctors said it would be very unlikely to detect the pregnancy hormone from toilet water.
Apparently???… their acting is horrible.. why do ppl get sucked in by these types.. there job is to attract ppl to their videos
God, they were a pair of feckin ejits.
It was pretty clearly a hoax alright but I suppose they gave to keep the vlog interesting . After that pregnancy stunt he told the wife he had given up his permanent well paid job as they were making so much money out of the vlog. She wasn’t happy but there’s nothing to stop her going out to work. I suppose if their vlog goes belly up she will just start a new one as the wronged wife. Anything for money it seems .
This info is now easily accessible on the net so paying one blackmailer off would be completely stupid.
Yes.
If you feel the need to cheat behind a partner’s back then you shouldn’t be in the relationship. Sorry if I offend but I have seen the results of cheating and the trail of devastation it leaves. If you’re not happy , get out and stop wasting your partners time.
let him who is innocent cast the first stone……people in glasshouses should not trough stones….. remember these old sayings.
They should also get changed with the lights off….
You reap what you sow; nice job idiots…
Stonecaster.
If you’re going to have an affair, limit the number of people who may know about this affair. Imputing personal details to a website isn’t the most sensible of things given that once something’s on the internet, it’s pretty much there forever and people hack websites and steal information on a daily basis.
Basically, Paul, these people are f*cking idiots and are now reaping what they have sown through their own idiocy.
So yeah, am I casting stones? Not so much in terms of the affair itself, not really my business to do so, but in relation to the stupidity and shortsightedness?
You betcha.
You do Vin like it or not, thats life.
Well said Vin.
It would be foolish to judge the morality of signing up to AM, but the act of trusting an unknown third party with intimate details about yourself is idiotic.
As far as the web goes, one should only post what they want everybody to know. There is no privacy other than what happens in your head.
Proof read the opening sentence under the title.. Sort out ur ‘send’ and ‘sent’ journal!!
@Mary, proofreading and the journal, that doesn’t mix
I neevr proofreed either.
They fixed the first one alas the second one went unnoticed!
Another issue is the website doesn’t requite email verification so I could sign up someone who’s email I know so it’s not as straightforward as people imagine… Where signing up is so lax, do you think it would be tough for hackers to get sign people up and then blackmail them.
There was a table of credit card transactions dumped also. Irish names and addresses included. Can’t deny that. Pointless paying someone off as the info is now essentially public domain.
That’s it Conor. Totally pointless… They have to face the music and those that will judge..
I had a nosey, some interesting Irish folks in there :)
Why would extra terrestrials ever come here.
To have an affair?
I’m sure bertie has some he won on the virtual horses.
I have no problem with this type of blackmail.
Niall I have a problem with this kind of blackmail as the people doing it are criminals and I would rather not see them in funds thank you very much.
Karma, karma every time i hope wives husbands of these people take them to the cleaners and name them. ( love a bit of gossip me)
If the information is out there, it’s out there and paying off a black-mailer won’t hide the information or stop it becoming public knowledge.
Biffo does.
Will they accept a cheque?
Figuratively those poor knobbers are now between two hard places!
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How expensive is it when a divorce lawyer takes a fraudulent marriage certificate through the courts to obtain an invalid divorce?
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