Ashley Madison Data Dump Is Real, Reports FBI Director’s Award-Winning Cyber Expert — Plus, Confirmations From Ashley Madison Users Of Their CC’s Last 4 Digits
The Ashley Madison data dump of approximately 32 million names could likely be real. At least one of those names on the Ashley Madison leaked data dump has been unofficially verified. Initially, reports of the Ashley Madison data dump containing 44 WhiteHouse.gov email addresses — along with 15,000 military and other government addresses — sent the online world into a tizzy, as reported by the Inquisitr.
Warnings about the Ashley Madison data dump potentially containing fake information surfaced, especially after the former CTO of Ashley Madison spoke with Brian Krebs. Raja Bhatia, the original CTO of Ashley Madison, told Krebs that the overwhelming amount of data dumps leaked in the last three weeks claiming to be Ashley Madison user data dumps weren’t real, but that Bhatia was taking every leak claim seriously and investigating them all.
However, it’s a Twitter exchange with Christopher M. Davis, a cyber expert and one of the only Canadians to nab the FBI Director’s Award — a big honor from the FBI, says the Financial Post — that could send shivers up the spines of Ashley Madison users worried about finding their names on the data dump list.
The @DavisSec tweeted Krebs, writing that this data dump is real — at least for the friend who admitted to Davis that he was an Ashley Madison user. Davis then found his friend’s info in the Ashley Madison data dump.
“It’s real. I had a friend admit he was on the site, and I found his details in the dump.”
From the Hyas Inc. Twitter account, Davis once again confirmed that the Ashley Madison data dump is real.
We have confirmed the Ashley Madison dump is real, and we need a shower now. If you have questions ping @DavisSec
— HYAS (@hyasinc) August 19, 2015
Following Krebs’ Twitter account and the Twitter account of the “FBI Director’s Award winner for computer crime stuff” should provide for useful updates on the Ashley Madison data dump as this whole thing plays out in the public eye.
“The credit card data in the dump doesn’t contain card numbers just approval codes and full names, addresses and emails etc.”
The information that Davis tweets about the credit card data only containing approval codes and not full credit card numbers lines up with what the former Ashley Madison CTO told Krebs about Ashley Madison genuine links not containing full credit card numbers. With more indications pointing to the fact that the data dump of 32 million Ashley Madison users could be real, nerves are set aflutter.
Especially now that Krebs has just tweeted that Ashley Madison appears to be stalling, and that three sources have confirmed the last four digits of their credit cards were found in the Ashley Madison data dump.
Starting to look like AshMad is just stalling. I've got confirmation from 3 trusted sources whose last 4 of CCs were there w/ their records
— briankrebs (@briankrebs) August 19, 2015
[Dan Istitene/Getty Images]
