The History of Scandals

Ashley Madison - Infidelity Files Unleashed

A juicy tale of hacked secrets, betrayed trusts, and busted cheaters!

“Life is short. Have an Affair.”

Ashley Madison, a website launched in 2001, quickly gained notoriety for its provocative slogan, "Life is short. Have an affair," and by 2015 had amassed around 37 million users globally.

The site promised discretion and a side of infidelity, and was essentially a digital "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for cheaters. It was a place where married folks could discreetly search for their "other half" without their significant others ever finding out. Or so they thought.

Then, the hackers happened.

The Hack

In 2015, Ashley Madison, the infamous dating site for married folks looking for extramarital excitement, got hacked. Big time. The Impact Team, a group of moralistic hackers, exposed the site's 39 million users' sensitive info, sparking a global scandal when Ashley Madison’s parent company didn’t comply with their demand for the site to shut down.

Suddenly, the secret lives of countless cheaters were laid bare for all to see. The hackers exfiltrated sensitive information such as names, addresses, credit card details, and sexually explicit messages exchanged on the site by the users.

Working of The Cheater's Playground

Promise

Ashley Madison promised:

• ?"Discreet" encounters ( code for "we won't tell your spouse").
• ?"Full delete" options (just $19 to erase your shame).

Betrayal

Turns out, Ashley Madison's promise of discretion was about as reliable as a politician's promise to resign. The hackers revealed:

• Fake female profiles (70-80% of users were men).
• Ashley Madison's "full delete" option didn't actually delete anything.
• Credit card info and intimate chats were vulnerable.

Cheaters, Beware! (Literally.)

Imagine the horror of discovering that your spouse had been cheating on you with someone you'd never heard of. Or worse, someone you knew.

Married folks looking for a side dish got served a plate of embarrassment. The exposure of users' identities led to widespread public humiliation, divorces, and job losses.

“Karma!”

The Hypocrisy Award Goes To...

Ashley Madison's CEO, Noel Biderman, who preached discretion while his company stored user data like it was a public library.

The Fall

The aftermath of the breach was catastrophic

• The scandal caused significant financial and reputational damage to Ashley Madison's parent company, Avid Life Media. Who later rebranded as Ruby Corp (trying to shake off the shame).
• Ashley Madison faced a $576 million class-action lawsuit for negligence and invasion of privacy, which ultimately settled for $11.2 million in 2017

End

Despite its tumultuous past, Ashley Madison continues to operate under new ownership and has reportedly implemented enhanced security measures following the hack. The site now claims to have over 85 million users, indicating that there remains a demand for its services despite the controversies surrounding its inception and operations

Lessons Learned

• Online infidelity is still infidelity.
• Don't trust companies with your secrets (unless you want them spilled).
• Cheating is bad, your online antics can come back to haunt you. So, keep your secrets secret (or just don't cheat).

Moral of the Story

Loyalty keeps you safe.

“Stay loyal, stay safe.”

Read More

• What Happened to Ashley Madison? https://people.com/ashley-madison-dating-website-2015-hack-true-story-8644849
• Ashley Madison true story: Explaining the real-life controversy depicted in new documentary series “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal” https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/ashley-madison-hack-list-names-explained-rcna151957
• Inside the Eternally Wild Story of the Ashley Madison Hacking Scandal https://www.eonline.com/news/1402742/inside-the-eternally-wild-story-of-the-ashley-madison-hacking-scandal