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KrebsonSecurity is reporting that the online "cheating" site AshleyMadison.com (and other sites run by the Avid Life Media group) has been hacked with user information compromised by a group called the Impact Team.
The group is threatening to release all data online as a result of alleged lies the ALM group told members unless the sites are entirely shut down.
"Full Delete netted ALM $1.7mm in revenue in 2014. It's also a complete lie," the hacking group wrote. "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."
AshleyMadison.com does offer a $20 "Full Delete" option for a users profile, as detailed in this ArsTechnica article from 2014. Obviously, this "Full Delete" is now useless, as the information is already (allegedly) in the hands of the hackers.
Is this a case of altruistic hacking or a possible case of revenge?
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Tuesday July 21 2015, @06:10PM
> Maybe not, but the information has to be kept as charges can be disputed
Kept by the payment processor, not the site. Which means, if the site did it right, there would be no way to go from the site's user list to the identity on the payment itself.
Customers initiate disputes with their card issuer. The card issuing bank sends either a request for documentation or a chargeback notice to the payment processor, which forwards them to the seller or service provider. If the seller cannot provide legitimate backup for the charges to the processor, the chargeback is accepted and the seller loses the payment for the sale.