UK: Hackers have threatened to release names, addresses and pictures of over one million people who use the website Ashley Madison to cheat on their partners.
A shadowy group called The Impact Team claimed to have accessed the the intimate details of up to 37 million love rats, threatening to release their nude images and even details of their secret sexual fantasies.
The hackers demanded Avid Life Media, owners of Ashley Madison, close down the affair website as well as a partner page, Established Men.
Selling itself under the tagline "life is short, have an affair", Ashley Madison promises a carnal cornucopia to anyone who is bored with their partner.
In a statement obtained by computer security expert Brian Krebs, The Impact Team warned: "Avid Life Media has been instructed to take Ashley Madison and Established Men offline permanently in all forms, or we will release all customer records, including profiles with all the customers’ secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails.
"The other websites may stay online.”
The hackers had harsh words for anyone who cheats on their partner.
“Too bad for those men, they’re cheating dirtbags and deserve no such discretion,” the hackers added.
"We’ve got the complete set of profiles in our DB dumps, and we’ll release them soon if Ashley Madison stays online.
"And with over 37 million members, mostly from the US and Canada, a significant percentage of the population is about to have a very bad day, including many rich and powerful people.”
Ashley Madison reportedly offers customers the chance to wipe their entire history and personal details for a charge of $20 (about £13).
The hackers claimed this function netted the affair website $1.7 million last year, but questioned the effectiveness of the "full delete" service.
“Users almost always pay with credit card; their purchase details are not removed as promised, and include real name and address, which is of course the most important information the users want removed,” hackers claimed.
Ashley Madison chief executive Noel Biderman confirmed the hack and said his firm was "working diligently and feverishly" to get the revealing information taken down off the internet.
“We’re not denying this happened,” Biderman said. “Like us or not, this is still a criminal act.”
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