No matter how curious you are, you must be careful when attempting to download them massive list of potential cheaters.
Hackers, who go by the name ‘The Impact Team’, recently attacked the famous ‘cheating’ website Ashley Madison. The websites entire database of potential cheaters was stolen and posted on the dark web for all to see. However, the dark web is no place for the ordinary web surfer. Downloading the 9.7 Gigabyte, 37 million name list could be potential unsafe and illegal.
Once you enter the deep dark web and attempt to download such files, you are opening yourself up to viruses, attacks on your computer and theft of personal information.
The database is available via Bit Torrent and other legal file sharing outlets, however downloading copyrighted content is illegal. Ashley Madison’s information is just that, Ashley Madison’s information, therefore having it in your possession without permission is illegal.
If you simply must search the list, the safest way to do so is to go to one of the multiple searchable database sites that have been created using the stolen data.
They include Trustify, Cynic.al, and Have I been pwned?.
Though which sites are up is subject to change.
Already one of the first, CheckAshleyMadiscon.com, has been removed after Avid Life’s legal team threatened it with copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, according to a statement on the site.
