by Kristen V. Brown
See full article at Fusion.net
Category: AshleyMadison
Dating Sites: A Magnet For Hackers?
ITPRO.CO.UK – May 9 – The Ashley Madison attack in July 2015 revealed the sensitive data of 37M people. Adult Friend Finder was also hacked, with the personal details of 4M users leaked, including their IP addresses and dates of birth. More recently, BeautifulPeople also had their details leaked online. "Dating sites contain a very high level of personal information, which can be very valuable in the wrong hands and quite damaging for those involved," said Rob Norris, director of enterprise and cybersecurity for EMEIA at Fujitsu. Are dating sites targeted more frequently than other sites? According to David Emm, principal security researcher as Kaspersky Lab, the answer is not necessarily. "Dating sites certainly draw a lot of media interest," said Emm. "Hacks happen to other sites but is a less newsworthy story."
by Jane McCallion
See full article at ITPro.co.uk
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Now It’s Ashley Madison Wives Who Are Receiving Blackmail Letters
GRAHAMCLULEY.COM – Mar 2 – The continuing story of the Ashley Madison hack, has taken another ugly twist. Some users received blackmail letters demanding $2K or their loved ones will be told about their membership of Ashley Madison. A number of people who refused to pay the Bitcoin ransom are now reporting that follow-up letters have been sent addressed to their wives.
by Graham Cluley
See full article at GrahamCluley.com
Tinder Is The Darling Of The Press
OPW – Feb 23 – The press just loves Tinder. In our "Best And Worst Press Coverage" overview, Tinder was the absolute winner in 2015. The mobile dating app appeared in the news on a daily basis with mainly positive press hits (except when CEO Sean Rad was interviewed;).
Here is the list of dating sites/app with best press coverage:
- Tinder
- Match.com
- eHarmony
- Grindr
- POF
- OKCupid
- Happn
- Bumble
- The Grade
- Hinge
The worst press coverage:
On the other site, for AshleyMadison 2015 was an exceptionally horrendous year. The site was hacked, members data was leaked online, and lawsuits followed; without a doubt AshleyMadison was the company with the worst press coverage of all.
Ashley Madison’s New Security Feature: Masked Profile Photos
CNN MONEY – Feb 2 – If users want to remain anonymous on the site, Ashley Madison will now let them add a mask to their profile picture. After the hack, AM assured its members that it worked hard to tighten its security protocols. Masks don't quite seem to be the solution.
by David Goldman
The full article was originally published at WCVB, but is no longer available.
Scammers And Spammers: Inside Online Dating’s Sex Bot Con Job
ROLLING STONE – Feb 1 – A hacker group called The Impact Team leaked internal memos from Ashley Madison's parent company, Avid Life, which revealed the widespread use of sexbots. 59% of all online traffic is generated by bots, according to the tech analyst firm, Are You a Human. AM is not the only ones using fake profiles," says Marc Lesnick, organizer of iDate. "It's definitely pervasive." In an email, Fling.com owner Abe Smilowitz writes, "We absolutely don't use fake profiles and bots… Us and AdultFriendFinder are pretty much the only guys that don't." Bot software is freely available online. Plenty of people just want some kind of customizable, convincing experience to get turned on. Facebook's $2B acquisition of Oculus Rift is one big clue that simulated life online is about to get exponentially immersive.
by David Kushner
The full article was originally published at Rolling Stone, but is no longer available.
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Six Months Since Ashley Madison’s Hack, Nothing Changed
WASHINGTON POST – Jan 15 – People forget and don't demand changes. A report from Pew Research found that people view hacks as part of modern life. Last month, Ashley Madison claimed that ~6.5M people had signed up since the hack. It seems somehow unjust that Ashley Madison should return to business as usual. The site's only visible casualties have been the resignation of CEO Noel Biderman and a handful of yet unresolved lawsuits.
by Caitlin Dewey
See full article at Gensee Country Express
Ashley Madison Says It Added 4M Members Since The Hack
CNN – Dec 28 – At the time of the hack, Ashley Madison said it had 39M members. The website now says it has ~43M members, according to a rolling count on its homepage. That number is not easily confirmed. Parent company, Avid Life, is faced with a dozen class-action lawsuits related to the hack by customers who claim the site failed to protect their identities. Fending off the lawsuits will be expensive, even for a company that recorded $115M in sales and a $55M profit last year. Several of the lawsuits are asking for more than half a billion dollars in damages.
by David Goldman
See full article at CNN Money
Ashley Madison Hack Was Not A Wake Up Call
THE GLOBE AND MAIL – Dec 16 – The data breach that aired the personal dealings and financial information of Ashley Madison clients has yet to spur concrete changes in security. Months later, public interest in the hack has faded – and so has the incentive for companies to beef up their security. Avid Life Media will likely bounce back.
by Paola Loriggio
The full article was originally published at Globe and Mail, but is no longer available.
Ashley Madison Hack Victims Receive Blackmail Letters
BBC.COM – Dec 15 – Blackmailers are reportedly sending letters to Ashley Madison users, threatening to reveal their membership to friends and family unless they pay money. Security expert Graham Cluley advised anyone receiving such a letter to "ignore it" and share the letter with the authorities.