Ashley Madison Hackers Post Stolen Data of 'Dirtbags'

The hackers behind last month's data breach of AshleyMadison.com, one of the foremost websites for "married individuals seeking partners for affairs," have posted the stolen data online, Wired reports. The 9.7 gigabytes of information posted on the "dark web" seem to include account details, log-ins, and payment transactions for at least some of what the company claimed were 40 million users. As Gizmodo observes, "this should be very interesting." The hackers say they released the stolen data to show the "fraud, deceit, and stupidity" of AshleyMadison.com and its users.

Ars Technica has downloaded the file and notes that while it does indeed appear to come from a "clandestine dating site," there's no definitive link to Ashley Madison. The company hasn't confirmed and says it is "actively monitoring" the situation. Gizmodo reports people are already finding "juicy gossip" amid the leaked data, including one person who turned up a plethora of British government email addresses. AshleyMadison.com doesn't require email verification to create an account, so anyone could create one using someone else's name and email address. Still, expect divorce attorneys and blackmailers to take notice, notes Ars Technica. (More Ashley Madison stories.)