90% of Ashley Madison users would be men – Le Soir

L are stolen data of some 32 million users of extramarital dating website Ashley Madison, a victim of software piracy in July have been Online Tuesday , said experts in computer security.

1. What data have been published?

The stolen data, which include millions of email addresses, user phone numbers of this site and the amounts paid have been published on what is called the deep web or hidden. The file is trading heavily in peer to peer , including the download platform The Pirate Bay, known for rarely accept to withdraw documents at the request of governments.

The archive contains several sub-archives, details Numerama. In addition to the email addresses it finds personal information, the amounts of transactions but not credit card numbers. Phone numbers can also be present. Especially if members used an email address associated with their operator.

2. Surprising email addresses, sometimes false

For a few hours, thousands of Internet users will give heart to joy to flush comical information in the database. It was learned that some 15,000 subscribers provide email addresses of members of the government or the army. A French twittos identified dozens of addresses linked to higher education or to local authorities, such as the City of Pais and other administrations.

report of Ashley Madison It should not conducting verification profiles. It is therefore possible that many addresses “cans” are in the list.

3. More than 90% of users are men

According to Wired citing The Impact Team, hackers behind the attack, between 90 and 95% of users are male. “ Keep in mind that this site is a scam with thousands of fake female profiles (…); 90-95% of actual users are male. There are chances that man voting will be included on the world’s largest extra-marital dating site, but have never had. It will just tried “write the hackers. .

4 blackmail risk

This is obviously the fear of all registrants: see his name in the public square. As such, the slogan of Ashley Madison – “ world leader in discreet extramarital dating ” – seems hackneyed. According to Cluley, an independent specialist in computer security, this leak can have catastrophic consequences for customers of Ashley Madison. “ It is easy to imagine that some people will be vulnerable to blackmail, if they do not want the details of their subscription or their sexual habits are known ,” said Mr Cluley.

The fear is legitimate. Many Internet users are transforming raw data into interactive maps pirated. He then simply click on a “Google map” to learn that his neighbor (or her husband) was a member of the site.

5. Who are the pirates?

We know, of course, little about it or hackers behind this great unpacking. The Impact Team is their name, threatened in July to reveal this data, before proceeding to act this week. Their claim to denounce a right option to pay forgetfulness (19 dollars) set up by Avid Life Media, home Canadian Ashley Madison mother. Another grievance: the multiplicity of fake profiles on the site knowing that, according to hackers, 95% of members are male. “ We explained fraud, deceit, and stupidity of Avid Life Media and its members. Now everyone can see their files , “said Impact-Team.

This is not the opinion of management Avid Life Media in a statement denouncing” a criminal act . ” “ An illegal action directed both against members of AshleyMadison.com, and against all free-thinkers who have decided to engage in a completely legal online business .” The Canadian company claims to have confidence in justice to find and convict pirates.