HOW THE ASHLEY MADISON DATA LEAK UNFOLDED
July 19, 2015: A hacker group, calling itself Impact Team, release a large cache of data online claiming it contains personal information from customers of Ashley Madison. The group threatens to publish a full cache of private files stolen from the site unless the site is closed.
July 20, 2015: Avid Life Media, the company that runs Ashley Madison, admits in a statement that its site has been hacked and customer data assessed. No plans to close any of the sites are made.
August 19, 2015: A dump of files, purportedly containing the entire cache of stolen data from the website, is leaked on the dark web by the Impact Team after the group's demands are not met. Internet users begin downloading and disseminating the information.
The data includes names, addresses, emails and sexual fantasies of users of both Ashley Madison and Established Gentlemen websites. Avid Life Media say they have referred the leak to several law enforcement agencies including the FBI.
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