Ashley Madison’s leaked database available for download – read this first

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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@gcluley

Ashley Madison database download

What’s happened?
As I’m sure you’ll remember, popular adultery website Ashley Madison got hacked in July. The hackers – who went by the name of the Impact Team – demanded that its owners, Avid Life Media, shut the site down and sister sites including Cougar Life and Established Men.

If their demands weren’t met, the hackers threatened to release details of some 37 million Ashley Madison users.

And then?
Nothing. Well, Ashley Madison didn’t shut down at least. Maybe some members tried to delete their accounts in panic (although that was rather like closing the door after the horse had bolted), and Avid Life Media generously decided to start offering account removals for free rather than charging $15.

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So why are you writing about this again now?
Because people claiming to be the Impact Team have released what they say is the database of Ashley Madison users on torrent sites, available for anyone in the internet to download.

Ashley madison leak

That sounds bad. Is it?
Chances are that many people who are members of the Ashley Madison website will feel uncomfortable with their boss, friends, partner or mother-in-law knowing about it. So they probably won’t be happy if the leaked database is genuine.

It’s easy to imagine that some people might be vulnerable to blackmail, if they don’t want details of their membership or sexual proclivities to become public.

Check out my video below where I discuss the threat of blackmail following the Ashley Madison breach, and feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Blackmail and Ashley Madison | Graham Cluley

Others might find the thought that their membership of the site – even if they never met anyone in real life, and never had an affair – too much to bear, and there could be genuine casualties as a result.

And yes, I mean suicide.

But if they’re in the Ashley Madison website, don’t they deserve what’s coming to them?
No.

For one thing, being a member of a dating site, even a somewhat seedy one like Ashley Madison, is no evidence that you have cheated on your partner.

You might have joined the site years before when you were single and be shocked that they still have your details in their database, or you might have joined the site out of curiosity or for a laugh or even to find out if someone else was on the site… never seriously planning to take things any further.

But more importantly than all of that, if your email address is in the Ashley Madison database it means nothing. The owner of that email address may never have even visited the Ashley Madison site.

As Per Thorsheim explained in an article last month, Ashley Madison *never* bothered to verify the email addresses given to it by users.

So, I could have created an account at Ashley Madison with the address of [email protected], but it wouldn’t have meant that Obama was a user of the site. (Apologies to Michelle for any concern I may have caused her by mentioning her husband’s name in relation to this article – I’m sure he has more important things to do with his time than to join online dating sites, anyway)

Journalists and commentators would be wise to remember that the credentials stored by Ashley Madison must be considered suspect because of their shonky practices, even before you start considering whether any leaked databases are falsified or not.

Further reading:


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

88 comments on “Ashley Madison’s leaked database available for download – read this first”

  1. Joey

    Hahahah at the 'they don't verify email addresses'. Who cares…if you used a credit card there is a 99.9% chance you are REAL.

    1. Scott Tiger · in reply to Joey

      No.
      Much lower than 99.9%
      Potential cheaters is also likely to use other peoples credit cards.

      1. baltes · in reply to Scott Tiger

        what? that makes no sense.

        1. skinnydipinacid · in reply to baltes

          Some people might be stretching for any excuse at this point, lol

      2. Valerie McGilvrey · in reply to Scott Tiger

        I think he means to say that its not a credit card that a spouse would have access to. This includes prepaid debit cards as a possible form of payment.

      3. Scott Didditt · in reply to Scott Tiger

        Uh, Scot, uh, did the wife "buy" that one? Sounds like you're stretchin' for an excuse! Did Tiger get caught with something other than his hand in the cookie jar??! LOL!!

      4. Mist · in reply to Scott Tiger

        Haha take that you filthy Cheaters !

    2. DJ · in reply to Joey

      Who cares??? Well if you have a popular name, say, "John Smith," and someone wants to join the site, but obviously, considering this is some really sketchy stuff DOES NOT use their real email. For various reason, namely the fact that if they're cheating their spouse most likely has a hunch, thus, they know to use an email ONLY for that site… Say… "[email protected]" as opposed to their REAL email, "[email protected]." They needed something easy to remember and that email was open. Viola! Hopefully your name is not "John Smith," bc you're automatically a CHEATER now, you really think your spouse is going to give you the benefit of the doubt? And considering the family court system, you wouldn't believe was accounts for "Proof!" Being able to show your name associated with an account that is NOT yours doesn't matter, you're guilty. You should DEFINITELY CARE? That is unless your name is "Yokoahomma Yizdale."

    3. Stacia · in reply to Joey

      Not so fast grasshopper. Some of us faithful spouses had friends set up accounts to help us catch our filthy cheating spouses and now I have a great friend caught up in this mess. Luckily I caught my sorry bastard cheating spouse and divorced him. I was recently able to show her husband that she was not cheating by showing him my ex spouse's profile but that doubt has already been planted in his mind. I just wish we had included him in the plan so he would have known that she wasn't the user of the account. Some of those accounts on there are not cheaters!

      1. Jen · in reply to Stacia

        @Stacia: my understanding was that the leaked database info contained a heck lot more than just the user's email and credit card info. From what I understand, it kept track of account activity, monetary transactions, and a few other things I can't remember at the moment. I assume that you caught your husband some time ago, yes? I also assume that the account was deactivated around the same time? If so, the database would have recorded this, and it should help in your friend's dilemma as far as proving that the account was only active during that period just before your marriage ended.

        1. Stacia · in reply to Jen

          Yes Jen,

          The account showed that the required deactivation fee was the only transaction made on the account thank God! The account was deactivated but not until after the divorce was final just in case I needed information from the site. It was deactivated in 2011 but that was not specified in the leak. It simply showed all accounts.

          1. Stacia · in reply to Stacia

            BTW, I received a call about a week ago from a husband who's wife is one of may that my husband (now ex-husband) is sleeping with. He has had a girlfriend throughout the divorce and has one now who thinks that he really loves her. According to the husband's private investigator, my ex's account shows that he is still spending money on the site and according to her husband (soon to be ex-husband) he is still sleeping with her whenever he can. I gave him the girlfriend's address (because that is all that I had) so he could contact her. She deserves to know that once a liar and a cheat, always a liar and a cheat.

  2. tim

    So where do you find the list? Very curious if there is someone I know. I realize this is probably an invasion of privacy–who knows, but I'm still interested. A friend kinda mentioned this site, and I really want to know if he's on it.

    1. Blooming Crikey · in reply to tim

      go to the pirate bay.. the genuine list is on there. Same as the onion browser or tor list, Its been verified.

      1. Valerie McGilvrey · in reply to Blooming Crikey

        I got it today from there.

        1. mondaymonday · in reply to Valerie McGilvrey

          Valerie … were you able to read the data once you downloaded it?

          1. Riddler · in reply to mondaymonday

            It's a good copy. I had no trouble reading it.

    2. Me · in reply to tim

      Sure it was your friend Tim. You concerned that your wife will catch you.

  3. somecuck

    No, they don't deserve it. Says who? You some kind of post-modern priest?

    The view is typically so:

    1. Person X does thing Y
    2. Thing Y is immoral
    3. Persons doing immoral things deserve punishment
    4. Therefore person X deserves punishment

    This implies you deny (2). If not, then would you modify (3) in other cases, or only in the special case of immoral thing Y do you permit forgiveness?

    "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." – Jesus Christ

    1. Stormy · in reply to somecuck

      If you are married and you're a CHEATER, you get what you deserve, THAT'S CALLED KARMA. Why be married if you want to bang others??? And if you have children, think about what this does to them, OR do you not give a shit. This rocks their security as a family.
      Get a divorce and they screw around.

      1. serenity · in reply to Stormy

        There are couples on there as well. Now revealed to the world. Great I guess?

    2. Z · in reply to somecuck

      But if X told Z who is X’s partner and they resolved their problems(forgiveness,,,Jesus was big on that too,,,something you forgot) and now these hackers have opened and exposed the wound again….not buying any of your self righteous nonsense.

  4. AlainCo (@alain_co)

    more generally this attack shows that there is a need to counter divulgation pmeasures.

    I hope, I expect, this database is fake, and this would be the good way to protect victims.
    In Norway (or beside) when the Germans asked for jewish to wear a yellow start, all the population decided to wear the yeallow star… so wearing it was meaningless.

    you should find a way to add yourself willingly to the database (too bad, it is too late) and if your wife ask, you could say "I do it to protect internet from bandits, you want your name to be added too?"

    anyway there is a big problmem today.

    Lastpass was attacked, like kasperspy, truecrypt was killed by NSA, France voted laws to prevent anonymity, which mean bandits like agencies will have access to your electronic presence and exchanges.

    Mme gates was caught hiding e-mail, found on servers…
    snowden, manning, climategate, sonygate… whether you love or not, nothing is secret anymore, not even private

    it is the end.

    I'm a professional of security (let us says I manage tools for, keys, doors, safe, seals, CCV, notary) and I feel it is then end.
    without EAL5 safety in hardware, IT is dead.

    1. Per-User · in reply to AlainCo (@alain_co)

      "In Norway (or beside) when the Germans asked for jewish to wear a yellow start, all the population decided to wear the yeallow star… so wearing it was meaningless."

      I find that comparison, however logical it may seem, to be rather perverse and offensive used in this instance. There is a big difference between people trying to escape the clutches of a psychopathic despot who wants to erase your kind from the face of the earth to those who want to escape the responsibility of their own deceptive actions, however, if that escapes you then might the likelihood be suggested that your appeal to be able to hide within the herd, as it were may, have a personal motive?

      Shall we start a 'je suis cheating bastard' movement too?

    2. Scott Didditt · in reply to AlainCo (@alain_co)

      OMG! When was LastPass hacked? I love using that, but was always weary of a cyber-attack on their database. Shit, every password that I know or don't know, is on that site.

      1. Simon · in reply to Scott Didditt

        LastPass have had two incidents of note, one earlier this year, and made some clickjacking changed.

        If you have a strong master password, then your LastPass stored passwords will be safe.

        If you had a weak master password and no 2FA, they will have emailed you to get it changed.

        If you have a weak master password you haven't understood how it works…..

  5. advancebulletin.com

    What is the reason behind this incident. Why hackers hacked that website.

    1. Stormy · in reply to advancebulletin.com

      To expose cheaters.

      1. Mister Guy · in reply to Stormy

        Wrong, it was done to Expose the parent company as a company committing fraud to it's users by claiming that they delete profiles and when in fact they kept user data after charging people $15 to delete your account info.

        They then warned them if they did not remove this data, they would steal in, which we know what happened…

  6. mc

    I love that the author is so concerned about the cheating scum who might be hurt by being outed as cheating scum, but doesn't care in the least about the people those scum hurt.

    1. Mister Guy · in reply to mc

      How were people hurt if they never knew?

      Also you are aware some people have open relationships, other people could lie and not be in a relationship and just use the site..(yes, i am sure there were cheaters too)

      Nice of you to assume every single last person on that site is cheating scum bag.

      I have to ask, have you ever told a lie in your life, or broken a law, i guess we should give the world all of your private information then…

    2. Ian Sturridge · in reply to mc

      The vast majority who registered didn't pay money, they were having a nosey. With all these sites you need to hand over money to talk to anybody. The percentage of active cheaters is tiny.
      Anybody who actually reads any of the list (private info revealed through illegal means) can't seriously take a moral highground because they are now acticely stooping to an even lower level of noseyness, like rifling through somebodies bin or hacking into personal files.

    3. aphid · in reply to mc

      Don't blame the messenger.

    4. diana · in reply to mc

      those people wouldn't have been hurt if their names weren't hacked & published. So, who is the scum? The cheater or the hacker?

  7. s nolan

    I could care less who cheats on their spouse–they aren't breaking any laws–and besides–their marriages are obviously already in trouble anyway–

    why should any of us care–the best way to deal with these hackers is to no show any interest in the data they are releasing

    1. D-bo · in reply to s nolan

      Why not just tell your significant other that you aren't happy instead of cheating… Cheaters in my experience have no balls. This leak is great lol.

      1. Gary · in reply to D-bo

        No, genius, why don't you consider the likelihood that many people signed on with their boss's name, for example. Or somebody who didn't like you could have signed up with YOUR NAME! Karma, huh?

    2. Sarah · in reply to s nolan

      Their marriages are already in trouble anyway? Then, they shouldn't be pathetic cowards and get out of their relationship instead of looking for meaningless attention through hookups with damaged people, most selfish pigs with mommy and daddy issues. They need therapy, not an affair.
      We should care because if you are the one living with this pathetic coward, it's time to dodge that spiraling bullet.

      1. cagouille · in reply to Sarah

        That's their private businesses. Keep your nose to your bloody uninteresting and pathetic life. You don't know the background of these people. You don't know anything about their lives but what happened to you when your boyfriend cheated on you with your sister.

    3. Janon · in reply to s nolan

      Not true at all.
      http://www.freep.com/article/20140417/FEATURES01/140417009

      Also remember this database is international. In some countries adultery is a very serious crime.

    4. Dillus · in reply to s nolan

      Actually they are breaking laws in some countries where adultery = death penalty.

    5. Not exactly · in reply to s nolan

      Actually adultery is illegal in 21 states, with punishments ranging from fines to jail time. In some states the affected spouse can also sue the person with whom their spouse cheated for alienation of affection.

  8. HappyChappie

    I like the way it is said that there "no evidence that you have cheated on your partner" so what is Ashley Madison website then for ? Why would you be on that in the first place ? So I think that is evidence enough and proof enough its cheating. Anything can be considered cheating these days.

    So come what make, hoping all this is REAL, let the shit heads get what's coming whether it be a guy or gal.

    This is not a privacy concern if AM is everywhere and on the website and being advertised. Trust isn't a issue because the spouses that does not know will have broken trust, and their partners broke it the moment they joined AM.

    No one deserves this kind of treatment at all, its very painful and untrustworthy. Rather be honest and hurt with the truth and get out your relationship rather than being unfaithful.

    So much one can do in a relationship, you just got to think out the box as partners and go for it. Don't need excitement else were. The world is already scary as it is, rather stick to one partner and make it work , make it fun, talk to each other, communicate.

    Just don't break hearts secretly.

    So AM I hope the worst for you for what you promote and ruin lives.
    And for the people that joined AM for what ever reason, you get what you deserve.

    To the lawyers, make a good fight out of it, don't just do it for the love of money, do it for the meaning of love.

    At the end, anyone that tells a lie or keeps a secret, should know it will come out some or other way, whether it now or later, there are consequences either way.

    Good Luck to this mean world we live in. Hope everyone learns something.

    1. cagouille · in reply to HappyChappie

      Most adulterers will find dates in bars or other places. Cheaters will cheat. Now that said, in Canada, adultery is LEGAL. So should it be everywhere, since marriage being a CIVIL contract, then adultery is a CIVIL act. I'd love to be so self righteous, just like you are, and be able to tell other human beings just how they should live their lives, but you know, I don't have a pathetic life like yours. So I'll let these people do what they want to do, because that's their fucking BUSINESS. Now that said, what the hackers did, THAT is an ILLEGAl, and I'll repeat, ILLEGAL act of PIRACY, a theft of CONFIDENTIAL datas. Hope you learned something, asshole.

  9. Not user

    Well, after few suicides, I truly hope those so-called hackers will realise something.

    1. sarita · in reply to Not user

      What about the suicides caused by cheaters? Cheaters cause havoc within a family, to their spouse, to their kids, to their extended family. Why does that not count? Because we must focus on the sexual needs of the sex-obsessed and immoral first and above all things??

  10. Tee

    I do agree that there are likely a lot of accounts that were just for fun or curiosity, however if you use your credit card you are not there for no reason. I had an account on there as a joke to a friend of mine but never used my credit card and we were both single at the time. Not sure if they still have the free accounts but really you put your credit card details on there, you fully intend to have an affair. After a few months you realize it's a scam and you take down your profile, you still had intent.

    I am very torn on this one. I do not believe in cheating ever but also hate the idea that hackers actually posted the private info on people. I think both sides on this one are disgusting. hackers and the cheaters. If the majority of average people think the hackers are right in posting this what site is next. Just because we mostly see this site as a morally wrong what site is next. What do you do in your life that many might find morally wrong and you get posted. Both sides are morally wrong.

    1. What? · in reply to Tee

      By that rationale, anyone who has ever been to a strip club without their spouse's knowledge should be exposed and publically named and shamed?

      1. Tee · in reply to What?

        How exactly did you come up with that? Strip clubs are completely different. chances of a person getting laid in a strip club are in reality not that high. From everything that has come out about this site, I guess the chances of getting laid are pretty slim as well lol.

        If a person goes to AM or other sites like it just to peek around, to me that is nothing but using a credit card and letting it bill you for a few months, that shows intent. The hackers dumping the list is just as bad.

        I would not want my private info out there and think what the hackers did is just as disgusting as the people who paid for their account.

        The site it's self is disgusting for not removing private info when they were paid to do so, the hackers for dumping it, the ones who thought it would be a good idea to cheat on their spouse, all around disgusting.

  11. Nrko

    Where's the damn list?

  12. DeeDee

    Well, it appears as if the author must have been registered on the site. Trying to find ways to discredit the information huh? Nice try. You're a cheater.

  13. Steve

    I have had the same credit card, which I use for all online transactions, replaced 14 times over the years (yes I counted, I'm a details guy) due to fraud. That's 14 KNOWN chances where I could end up erroneously on this Ashley Madison hacker list. I'm a faithful husband. If the list becomes widely available to the public there will be a LOT of false alarms

    1. Bob · in reply to Steve

      People usually don't go on the offensive and make up excuses about being on a list unless they have something to hide. It's also very uncommon for anyone's credit card to get hacked 14 times, unless someone would lie about it to cover up things they should not be purchasing…i.e sex sites…. So yes, based on your statement, I'm calling you out as a perv.

  14. Babsie Brodie

    My ex joined Ashley Madison a few years before our eventual divorce. I only found out after examining bank transactions paid to AM. When confronted he cried out for me not to jump to conclusions. Really? He also was on another dating site, Match, which had him describing himself as single and five years younger than he really was. He was and remains a serial adulterer. Would love for all his friends and current wife to know how dishonest he really is.

    1. Valerie McGilvrey · in reply to Babsie Brodie

      Poetic justice happens :) I suppose the next best thing would be to have a reporter come calling to his house to inquire how the family is handeling his public exposure as a Ashley Madison leaked member on the hacked list. :)

  15. Mike

    Nice try Steve… hahahahaha
    Was your wife sitting next to you when you wrote that? LMAO

  16. Collette

    Well, I am somebody who signed up for the site, not initially as a cheater, but hoping to find a cheater. What I found was a lot of people unhappy in their marriages and sex lives and looking to fill that void, all while keeping their families in tact. If guys and ladies actually went to their partners and told them that they weren't happy with their sex life, passion, etc. there would then be a lot more divorce in this country than there already is. Cheating – It's not right, but the truth is, in other countries there is less marriage and more freedom when it comes to sex because they see that as an important part of a relationship. This country is so uptight about sex and things change when people get married in a lot of marriages. I know there will be haters of this message, and that's ok.

    So, I went on there looking to see if my partner was cheating and I ended up engaging in multiple conversations with men (just conversations, no physical) about their marriages and sex lives. And it seems like they need to just get it off their chest. I was surprised at how many men just wanted to talk and wanted a "cyber" relationship. There are a bunch of sickos too that just want to meet up the same night for a booty call.

    Anyway, it was an interesting experience. By the way, my partner was not on the site or at least under his known emails, but I found the email I used in the hacked data checker as well as some of the email addresses of users I communicated with. BTW, most people take their communication offline and don't use the messaging within AM site. Anyway, I think the hacked data is totally legit, I checked several of my known email addresses and only the one I used for AM came up in the database.

    1. Mac · in reply to Collette

      Well if your husband doesn't buy this story I know
      this guy named Steve!

  17. sam

    Where can the actual data be found?

    1. Valerie McGilvrey · in reply to sam

      Thedirtyphonebook.com has it and I have it from a torrent site.

      1. Chris · in reply to Valerie McGilvrey

        i downloaded it but I'm having trouble searching it / reading it. text files are too large to search, and i'm not so good with importing the data into a database. i've seen the sites that have been set up to do simple email searches, but I want to peruse the whole thing out of simple freak curiousity. On a Mac. Any tips?

        Thanks

  18. Jay

    First off… who elected these hackers to be judge jury and executioner over other peoples "affairs" who gives a F*CK if some one is a cheater, that is their choice, I AM SICK AND TIRED OF OTHER PEOPLE TRYING TO ENFORCE THEIR MORAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ON OTHERS!!… last time i checked there is no legal law against cheating, or thinking about cheating, or flirting with others online or in person. If a Man or Woman cheats on their significant other, then the only person whose business it is is the cheaters, and their significant others business. What these hackers did was break the law, they stole information that was not theres, broke into a system they had no business in, and create anarchy they should be dragged to the nearest prison and locked up like the criminals they are!

    1. Rhonda · in reply to Jay

      FIRST OFF ….. THIS REALLY DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH RELIGIOUS BELIEFS! I'm sure there are many atheists, agnostic, and people with just no morals at all. Yes it is against the law. If you went on this website the a government email address like .mil or .gov, the will be searching out these people and they can charge them with adultery, they will then be sent to jail for at least a year and then dishonorably discharged. Then there are the spouses and children that will be hurt by this as well as the shame it will cause other family members like parents, grandparents, and siblings. I have always told my children that if you do something wrong, it not only hurts you but also those who love you!! I find this sad! but I do know someone who may have used it, MY EX!!

  19. J.L.

    Ha! You created an account, but didn't use it? What the hell are you doing on there for in the first place?

  20. Kate

    I was on the site one day only just out of curiosity when a couple of friends confided that they had been using the site. I was (and still am) unhappy in my marriage and my non existent sex life. Talking to him, counseling, etc etc has not helped so in a weak moment I got on the site for one day. I talked to a few people, same story every time. Wanted to keep their marriage but where desperately lonely, looking for any kind of connection they could have that would make them feel like they mattered. They were not necessarily looking for physical contact, just someone to talk to, they had told their spouses they were unhappy with the romance,passion, sex, intimacy in their marriage but nothing ever changed. i think a lot of people who just wanted to talk t someone will have not only their marriages but their careers ruined when they never even had physical contact with anyone

    1. Brian Griffin · in reply to Kate

      It's a shame your post is being downvoted, Kate, for you describe pretty accurately the general mindset and situation of so, so many people who are married or in long-term relationships and become involved in (typically) emotional affairs (that may or may not some day progress to physical intimacy).

      But…the online hate probably originates from hyper-moralizers who are trying to feel morally superior in the moment…

      1. cagouille · in reply to Brian Griffin

        And keep in mind that the self righteous usually is the one that has the most skelettons in their own closets. Judgmental people usually are the ones that are so selfish that they destroy other people's lives. They often are the victims of adultery from their spouses because of their shitty attitudes and are complaining on here because they want to be the victims of their own pathetic existence.

    2. Default · in reply to Kate

      Couldn't agree more with Kate… I have been married for 21 years to a great man. He has absolutely NO interest in sex. I do. I've been on websites with the intention of meeting someone just to fill the physical void. I never went through with it, partly because there were very few "profiles" that interested me, and I'm sure that, even if there had been, I'd have lost my nerve anyway. Either way, I've never yet been unfaithful. But if MY name was leaked as being on a dating website, I'd be mortified. Just give a little benefit of doubt… Wouldn't you appreciate it if it were you and you hadn't actually done anything???

  21. Nena

    If what they say is right about how they don't verify email addresses, then that's a real bum deal for those who really didn't use the site. It would be the ultimate revenge for someone to nick your email address and sign onto that site. Why didn't the hackers think of that?

  22. NateDog

    I'm in an open relationship. I decided to use this site to meet women who might be in the same situation as me. My relationship with my wife is private. I'm angry that it might be exposed to friends, family, co-workers and the rest.

    1. Valerie McGilvrey · in reply to NateDog

      Well you are going to be, because this list going around is the real deal. I chatted with my programmer who set the dump file I dowloaded into a database so I could search a few names and I can tell you that the information is complete. I know it is already in several sites such as thedirtyphonebook.com and I am giving access to my associates after it is set up.

      In the future you may want to rethink the guidelines for your marriage and your online credit card use.

      1. Kimberly · in reply to Valerie McGilvrey

        Not everyone who is on that list signed up because they intended to cheat. I found out I am on that list from when I signed up over 6 yrs ago. I joined (not paid so no credit card info from me lol) because I found out from a local girl I was friends with that he emailed her on that site. I wanted to catch him myself in the act of it all. At the time I didn't think using my normal e-mail address along with some normal info of myself would be hung out to dry years later. I did find out my fiance' was in fact cheating. I did request my profile to be removed (back then you didn't pay for it) but I guess they filed to do this. So, NOT everyone on that list is on the list because they were going to cheat.

      2. cagouille · in reply to Valerie McGilvrey

        You downloaded the list, therefore you are a criminal. You are using stolen confidential datas, which is twice the charges of simply downloading a movies on torrents sites. Your place is in jail.

      3. cagouille · in reply to Valerie McGilvrey

        Also, the download sites are infected with malwares, and especially spywares. I'm curious to see your face when your own personal and confidential datas will be treated by these criminals and used against you. You are a criminal, and now probably somebody is using your credit card and/or bank access. Karma, bitch!

  23. aphid

    Don't people use masked email today?

  24. Cheater so what

    I am on the list. I cheat.
    I fell in love, got married and have 3 kids.
    The sex got boring years ago but I still have a family and love them very much.
    I have found others that are the same and want to keep their family intact for the sake of the kids and friendship found from 10+ years of marriage.
    This new info could impact my kids and hurt my wife.

    1. Kimberly · in reply to Cheater so what

      I am not saying Cheating is right, but I have come to learn as I am getting older that IN LONG MARRIAGES, Couples do tend to eventually find themselves sexually interested in someone.. not emotional… just sexual…. but I say it is bet to talk to your wife or husband first about the lack of sexual fun in the current relationship and see if you guys can't do something about it. If nothing is working then ask them if he or she would be ok with trying to hook up with a couple together (not meaning b or Gay fun) with the interest of maybe trading partners, but only doing this when you both can play together. Or, if she or he says no… then see what they would be willing to do. If nothing… and you really need a hotter sex life then sit down and see if the risk is worth it if you get caught. At least if you tried to deal with it, but your partner was un-willing no matter what was tried.

  25. Kimberly

    I signed up on Ashley Madison site around 2009, but it wasn't to cheat… but it was to see how active my fiance' was on the site to see if he was cheating. I am happy I didn't pay for anything nor did I use credit card. Sadly, I did use a real e-mail address and what small profile I did place was about 50% true. I did send in a request for the profile to be deleted, but see during the search that it wasn't. So, I had a 6 yr old profile I didn't even know was still viewable. THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING about when they say not everyone listed was on the site to cheat… some, like me (note I am Female), joined up to keep an eye on her guy until she had proof he was for sure cheating. Do I care it was hacked… not really… I do care I will be on a list and those who see it will have a wrong impression of me, but at the end of the day… I know I did not wrong and if they do find out who did this and it does cause me issues, I can always sue!

  26. JoeC

    The purchase was made with a credit card that was compromise. What can I do? Am I screwed? That card go cancelled sometimes back…

    1. cagouille · in reply to JoeC

      Unfortunately, the infos they have are the infos provided by the credit card company, which means there are confidential personal infos, like your name and your address that have been released in the criminal data theft. I'd suggest you discuss with a lawyer. These criminals will probably be caught as soon as they do something else. Hackers are braggers. They will do something else soon enough.

  27. DJ

    Guys and Girls, you all don't seem to grasp the seriousness of this problem? Yeah, who cares is some cheaters are exposed, I sure don't; however, what if you have a popular name??? If you're name is "John Smith" you ought to bet that there are about 1,000 different versions of your name in email format. BUT WAIT, what if your name is NOT that popular, say "Jason Hancock?" Then there might only be 4-5 different email variations of your name; out of 30 something million… Do you now very many "Jason Hancock's???" NO! So whether you're educated or not, just as these comments suggest, you're going to go with the story you tell yourself that makes it the most interesting, i.e. your next door neighbor, Jason, is a cheating pig! What about his wife, how does he prove it's NOT him? He can deny it all he wants, prove with whatever documentation he can, but it doesn't matter, he now has to PROVE a Negative! That's a problem! A huge Problem! His wife will then have that in the back of her head the rest of their marriage, it'll bother her so much so that she withdrawals affection and since Jason has NO bargaining power in his marriage, i.e. the Family Court System will ensure he does NOT stand a chance at custody of his children, his wife will slowly turn their marriage into a prison, he'll feel worthless and trapped, wishing he had actually signed up for the site in the first place now, he can either kill himself or wait for the inevitable, "I'm just not happy anymore" speech, in which his wife will transfer ALL responsibility of the down turn of their marriage on his shoulders, since you know, he cheated. She'll tell all her friends and family, to ensure they are on her side, and well… "Support her." Then he'll feel more isolated, same two options, though he sticks it out, he's at least free now, but will he ever be able to see his children again. Half of his paycheck after taxes goes towards his ex-wife for "Child Support" when all he wants to do is see them, he spends the other 25% on trips to SeaWorld leaving him with pennies on the dollar. He has two options, either marry again, to help feed himself, or get another job, or end it all to stop the humiliation? He chooses to marry again, at least it'll get better right? WRONG! Now, even though they are divorced, she claims this PROVES her suspicions ALL ALONG! You're a cheater, but he says, "We haven't been together for years," you've already married and divorced again? She doesn't care, bc after all he ended their marriage and ruined their children's lives by cheating in the first place, but now she adds the claim that he also abandoned his children. He can't take the horrific names and humiliation and ends it, the ONLY option left for this poor man. COME ON GUYS AND GIRLS! You really this is far fetched, take a trip to the family courthouse once… You'll be horrified what qualifies as "Justice" in this country. You are only allowed as much justice as you can afford. And sadly, most men are too busy paying for their ex-wifes justice to have anything left for their own.

    1. cagouille · in reply to DJ

      It's not only their names that are on the list but also the addresses of the members, which are confidential datas. If those asshole hackers had simply sent infos to the spouses of the members, it wouldn't be such a big deal, though now, everybody can lynch these people like the bunch of witch hunters that they are. Just look at the comments from all these stupid reality show lovers on here who were just waiting for some juicy datas to come their ways so they could be fed to deliver all the hatred they love to deliver. Now entire villages can go on to Mr. Whoever's door with their forks and burn them alive like they so want to do because they have such pathetic lives themselves. Get a life, people! Protection of confidential and private datas is the biggest problem now. To the people who cast the stone, I'd love to find out what kind of shit you did to your own spouse to make them cheat on you so you could become as bitter as you are.

  28. saddenedbyall

    I read all the emails and sit back saddened by the spite, bitterness and hate that comes from them. It is so easy to throw a stone from a glass house. It so easy to condemn someone else because it makes us feel better in our own lives. Why condemn someone you know nothing about?

    First of all we have lost site of the real issue which is the criminal Act of Piracy. These types of groups hide behind their fake veil of "morality" yet their own actions condemn their platform to that of hypocrisy! Their actions reek of self fulfillment more than any true form of morality or caring for anyone on either side of the effects of the information release. I do not condone the extra-marital affairs but I also do not condone the public release of information that will destroy the innocent lives, affected by this, in a horrible public manner. If you wish to stand upon the "soap box of righteousness" then you must first understand the truth of your platform. No sin is greater or lesser than the other. If you lied you lied, if you were deceitful you were deceitful. If you broke the law, you broke the law. The content does not have any bearing except in the minds of those who wish to justify their own actions to themselves. If you fantasized about someone else, flirted with someone else, watched porn or cheated without your spouse's knowledge, kept money aside, hid purchases from your spouse, did not tell them why you are unhappy. These are all betrayals and forms of lies and deceit. None are worse or greater than the other if we look at them from a morality point of view. The giving of "weight" to sin is purely a societal belief that has formed out of a religious need by "man" to try and control behaviors. They are not the problem but the symptoms of the issues. These are not for me to make any judgement on and are for that family's private business. I sit in awe at how comments are made about how the "cheater" has no regard for their family yet many of you applaud the release of the information publicly as a good thing!?? How does that have any compassion or regard for the innocent??
    There is no moral high ground that can be stood upon in an act such as what this "impact Team" has committed. They have shown their actions to be that of small minded, selfish and pathetic people/person behaving only to fulfill their own fantasy, needs etc. Hmmm, funny…kind of sounds like what a lot of people accuse the "cheaters" on the site of.

  29. Joe Young

    The hackers should have their names and addresses posted so they can be hunted down and given their just desserts.

  30. Michael

    Is just me or is everyone missing the reverse side.

    The people named on this site have shown an interest in extra marital affairs, there is now a list out there accessible for free of like minded people.

    The hackers have allowed this to expand to people who had no intention of paying but can now browse and use this list.

    You shouldn't be unfaithful to your partner, that's a given.

  31. DC

    I received this email today from SEC.Impact regarding AM account.

    By now, you have heard about our work on Ashley Madison.
    And now, we are preparing a letter to be mailed to:

    The letter details all of your activities on Ashley Madison, including your profile information, your login history, and credit card transactions. For example:

    Now, for the good news. You can easily stop this letter from being mailed, by sending 2 BTC to the following Bitcoin address within the next 96 hours:

    15ZQEM6VsH1sufteqbfDNTJ5XXXZTGJbSk

    As long as you make the payment in a timely fashion:

    o The letter above will be destroyed
    o In the coming weeks, we are launching a publicly searchable website
    with all information we took from the Ashely Madison website.
    If you make the payment of 2 BTC in the next 96 hours, all of your
    activities will be expunged from this website. All searches for your
    personal information will turn up blank. It will be as if you never
    had an account in the first place.
    o Best of all, you will never hear from us again

    If you don't yet know how to send Bitcoin, now is a great time to learn.
    In the US, CoinBase.com is a good place to start.

  32. DC

    It's obviously just a SCAM email. People don't send them any bit coins.

    Checkout the video I found about this very subject
    https://grahamcluley.com/video-blackmail-ashley-madison/

  33. Joe

    BWAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAA Hilarious defense of the scum on that site.

    > Q: But if they're in the Ashley Madison website, don't
    > they deserve what's coming to them?
    > A: No.

    Yes, they do. It's called CONSEQUENCES of your actions. It's what adults understand as reality.

    Granted the 60's hippies and current hipster douche-canoes disagree; but reality isn't listening to them. This self-important self-absorbed bunch would call it Karma; but only when it happens to those they hate. When it happens to them, it's "unfair."

    > For one thing, being a member of a dating site, even a somewhat
    > seedy one like Ashley Madison, is no evidence that you have
    > cheated on your partner.

    *ROTLMFO* that's the best you can do? A Clinton-esque "definition of is, is" defense? Or is this the "harmless fun" excuse? Both pathetic, by the way. Again, responsibility is lacking.

    Again who are you to condemn this site as "seedy?" If it is in fact "seedy" then being on the site is a condemnation in and of itself.

    People who are FAITHFUL, DO NOT sign up for sites like Ashely Madison. The fact that someone did sign up, IS PROOF they were thinking about cheating. That's enough.

    What's next? Will you claim that all porn viewing is accidental? "Oh my dear, it's nothing! My credit card accidentally was entered and charged by BeatYourWife dot porn. It's only harmless fun, which I didn't really partake of." Yea and "Slick Willie" didn't inhale, either.

    If someone paid to join a site that sponsors terrorists would you claim they were not involved? Only if you're an idiot.

    If it's O.K. to attack anyone disagreeing with homosexuality (shaming); then it's O.K. To sham cheaters, and those thinking about it. Problem is morals, and values have almost disappeared from the world.

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