The fall and rise of the original “hot wives” club

Most of us will be familiar with the new three-part Netflix documentary, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal – or the 2023 Hulu documentary The Ashley Madison Affair – which both detail the infamous 2015 cybersecurity breach that exposed the sensitive information of millions of users from the dating website Ashley Madison, aimed at people seeking extramarital affairs.

But what happened next? Is Ashley Madison still a thing? And can you still fulfill your “hot wives” fantasy there?

What Happened?

The Hack: In July 2015, a group of hackers calling themselves “The Impact Team” claimed to have breached the security of Ashley Madison. They obtained and subsequently released personal information, including names, email addresses, home addresses, credit card transaction details, and even sexual preferences and fantasies of the website’s users.

The Data Leak: In August 2015, after threatening to release the data if Ashley Madison and its parent company, Avid Life Media, did not shut down the site, the hackers followed through. They released approximately 9.7 gigabytes of user data in two separate batches on 18 and 20 August.

Aftermath: The release of this data led to significant consequences for the users, including public humiliation, blackmail, and in some tragic cases, reports of suicides. The leak also resulted in numerous lawsuits against Ashley Madison and Avid Life Media for failing to protect user data.

Who Was to Blame?

The Hackers: A group who identified themselves as The Impact Team, carried out the cyberattack and released the data. They justified their actions by accusing Ashley Madison of deception, including the false claim of a “full delete” service that did not completely remove users’ information. Despite all the media attention, suggestions of an ‘inside job’, and cyber security specialists intent on discovering the identity of The Impact Team, they were never caught.

Ashley Madison / Avid Life Media: The company was heavily criticized for its inadequate security measures, which allowed the breach to occur. Investigations revealed that the company had neglected to implement robust cybersecurity protocols, leaving user data vulnerable to such an attack.

Corporate Practices: Beyond the technical failures, the company was also criticized for unethical business practices. This included the aforementioned false “full delete” service and the creation of numerous fake female profiles to entice male users to spend more money on the site.

Legal and Regulatory Response: In the aftermath, there was also scrutiny on the regulatory environment that allowed such a breach to happen without more stringent consequences for companies failing to protect consumer data.

Broader Implications

The Ashley Madison data breach highlighted the vulnerability of personal data on the internet, especially for services dealing with highly sensitive information. It prompted many companies to re-evaluate their cybersecurity measures and brought attention to the need for better data protection laws and practices to safeguard user information.

The scandal also served as a cautionary tale about the potential personal and professional fallout from data breaches, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity in the digital age.

So, what happened to Ashley Madison?

Unsurprisingly, as word of the breach got out in the media, site traffic to Ashley media was at its highest ever. Despite the swift departure of CEO Noel Biderman (whose own infidelities and questionable business practices were exposed as part of the data breach) and other staff members, the site remains operational today and has even seen its popularity soar after the release of Hulu and Netflix documentaries. Membership is said to have risen to 70 million, up from 34 million in 2015, pre-data hack.

Ashley Madison may have gone from strength to strength, but today, there are also numerous other websites that can help you find that “hot wives” hook up or a third (or fourth, or fifth!) to join the party in your marital bed. The options are endless, just remember to choose a reputable site that will look after your personal data!