After all
disasters, whether natural or man-made, there comes a wave of scammers and
people that try to rip off the victims. This happens after tsunamis, floods, hurricanes,
tornados, and even after data hacks. Scammers and extortionists have begun to
target and attack the Ashley Madison users.
First, scammers
have already began to use the names, passwords, address, phone numbers, and
credit card information from the users of the site. They have begun stealing
and using the identification of the users to make money and purchase merchandise
using their information.
Second, the scammers
have begun to extort the victims of the data leak. It has been reported that many
people have been extorted not to have their information released on the
internet (2015, Silicon Angle). The users have been blackmailed for Bitcoins in
order to keep their information and possible infidelity a secret (2015, Silicon
Angle). Some users have paid the extortion, and other have reported it to their
local police forces.
The data from
the breach can be used to gather more information, and they can even gain
access to their computers (2015, Tripwire). Once in their personal computers,
hackers could gain more access to bank accounts and other passwords (2015,
Tripwire). They can do a lot of damage to people with just a few pieces of
information. Hackers can be very resourceful and they can do a lot of damage to
people that thought their data was safe on the servers of companies. This is a
false sense of security. Our data is very vulnerable from so many different
sources and companies that we may have contact with.
(2015, September 6). Ashley Madison
blackmail for Bitcoin scam reaping profits for extortionists [News Post].
Retrieved from http://siliconangle.com/blog/2015/09/06/ashley-madison-blackmail-for-bitcoin-scam-reaping-profits-for-extortionists/
(2015, September 1). The Ashley Madison Hack – A Timeline [News
Post]. Retrieved from http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/cyber-security/the-ashley-madison-hack-a-timeline/
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