\u201cLife is short, have an affair.\u201d This is the tagline of the dating platform Ashley Madison. With the company marketing themselves as the dating app for married individuals looking for something extramarital. The application has created an idea of discretion that has lead to a rise in cases of blackmail originating from the Ashley Madison platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worst thing many Ashley Madison users fear is their spouse uncovering their activities. However, the platform\u2019s nature opens the door for cybercriminals. Many heard the news of the data breach<\/a> in 2015, but not all consider the fact that perpetrators still run rampant on the service. Ashley Madison users were targeted again in a less-covered sextortion email<\/a> scam in 2020. Utilizing information from user\u2019s accounts and activity, perpetrators were demanding around $1,000 in bitcoin in exchange for secrecy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are just the cases that were picked up by mainstream media. With the claim that \u201cconsenting adults should be able to do whatever they want in private,\u201d the site is sought-after by more than just polygamists. This adult dating site has become a veritable hunting range for cybercriminals to target new victims for online blackmail<\/a>, sextortion, and other cyber scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n