Hackers targeted Cougar Life too.
By Raif Karerat
Follow @ambazaarmag
The dissemination of personal information stemming from the recent hack of adultery-enabling website Ashley Madison has now led to at least two unconfirmed reports of suicides, Canadian police disclosed Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Krebs on Security reported that the hackers, who identify as “The Impact Team,” got a hold of “sensitive internal data” not only for Ashley Madison but also for other hookup sites owned by the company, Cougar Life, which appeals to “single moms and sexy singles looking for a young stud,” and Established Men, which promises to connect “young, beautiful women with successful men.”
Toronto Police acting staff-Supt. Bryce Evans said the hack is having an “enormous social and economic fallout” during a morning press conference.
Evans also said there are confirmed cases of criminals attempting to extort Ashley Madison clients by threatening to expose them unless payment is received.
“This hack is one of the largest data breaches in the world,” Evans said. “This is affecting all of us. The social impact behind this leak, we’re talking about families, we’re talking about children, we’re talking about wives, their male partners.”
A representative of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security attended the news conference. Special Agent Ron Marcello of Homeland Security Investigations said Toronto police asked for assistance stated the FBI is the lead on investigating the hack.
U.S. government employees with sensitive jobs in national security and law enforcement sectors were among hundreds of federal workers found to be using government networks to access and pay membership fees to Ashley Madison, The AP revealed last week.
The company behind Ashley Madison is offering a $378,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of members of a group that hacked the site.