One of the most recent cyber hacks was, surprisingly, not to a government installation with hackers trying to gain access to highly classified information. Rather, a group of hackers decided to raid the servers of one adult date finder site, get all of the personal data of the customers, and threaten to release the information online if the website does not shut down.
Ashley Madison is an adult date finder site that seeks to partner couples online. However, unlike other dating sites, Ashley Madison is one of those who cater to the married ones, enticing customers to have an extramarital affair.
The attack on Ashley Madison exposed at least 37 million customers, with their personal data in danger of being released online. Currently, the hackers who did the breaching, calling themselves the Impact Team, are still threatening to release the data to the online world.
Website owner Avid Life Media quickly responded to the threats by taking down and removing the almost 25,000 customer entries to its database that the hackers have already accessed. Meanwhile, the website is still up, though it is unclear if Ashley Madison have processed new sign-ups after the attack was reported.
Meanwhile, the attack on the website is also being used to spam unsuspecting curious readers. According to the reports, spam sites and links promising access to the hacked database are currently appearing online. Different links are flourishing in the wake of the attack, encouraging readers to take a sneak peek at the hacked customer database. These spam range from email correspondences to expertly camouflaged news links on social media sites.
Experts warn of these spam links, as aside from exposing themselves to malware, these links can also pose as phishing clickbaits and get personal information about the user. Some news sites have also investigated the spam links and other than false data and malware, no sign of the hacked database can be seen.
