5/22/2015 – Millions of individual’s sexual preferences and even identities have been compromised after a hacker downloads profiles from infamous prostitution and hook-up site Adult Friend Finder.
According to wikipedia.org, Adult Friend Finder is an Internet based, adult oriented, social network that promotes itself as an easy way for adults to meet. The site was founded in 1996 by Andrew Conru and is currently recognized as one of the 100 most popular sites in the U.S. In 2007 Adult Friend Finder was sold to Penthouse Media Group (think Penthouse Magazine) for $500-million. Penthouse later changed its name to FriendFinder Networks. After emerging from bankruptcy in 2013, Conru once again took over the helm as CEO until 2014. According to the FFN.com, Conru is now employed as a ‘strategic advisor’ to the company.
Adult Friend Finder (AFF) makes zero attempt to disguise what their site is all about (see screen grab below)…
With a tagline of “Hookup, Find Sex or Meet Someone Hot Now” it wasn’t long before AFF became home base for many online prostitutes and their ‘Johns.’
Countless online prostitution advertisements, on sites like Backpage.com and Craigslist, include the line, “find me on AFF” or “AFF profile available” (see examples from Backpage.com below)…
And, because millions of horny men think the Internet is some anonymous free-for-all, they flock to AFF in droves to create a profile – complete with some of their most potentially embarrassing kinks – in hopes of meeting up with a willing pro(fessional) or non-pro (that’s ‘John’ talk for hooker or non hooker).
Well, it was bound to happen… If your credit card info isn’t safe at your local Target, then it should have been pretty obvious that your perversion profile wouldn’t be safe on the Internet’s largest gathering of single-minded (often married) men with more ‘wood’ than common sense.
AFF boast 64 million members that willingly filled their database with usernames, email addresses and personal bedroom preferences du jour – like: “One-on-one sex doesn’t interest me much. I prefer (threesomes/swapping/orgies/other)… (click below for larger image)
The “potential data security issue” (aka, the embarrassingly too easy data theft) reportedly took place in March and was subsequently first reported by independent IT security consultant Bev Robb on her blog Teksecurity in April.
A hacker who claims to be based out of Thailand and goes by the online moniker ROR[RG] has taken ownership for the theft of the database.
The AFF hacker(s) promptly posted the plethora of information online in a series of .zip files, claiming AFF owes him/them $100,000.
Even though the hack apparently happened over a month ago, it just now (as in the last 24-hours) hit the media…
Examples:
- 5/22/2015 – RT.com – Feds and cops busted as hacker dump exposes ties to adult-dating site. LINK
- 5/22/2015 – GotNews.com – BREAKING: Is a Justice Official “Security Specialist” on #AdultFriendFinder? LINK
- 5/22/2015 – Money.CNN.com – Adult dating site hack exposes sexual secrets of millions. LINK
- 5/22/2015 – PCworld.com – Leaked Adult Friend Finder user database still online. LINK
- 5/22/2015 – Mashable.com – Adult dating site hacked, exposing personal data and sexual orientation. LINK
It didn’t take long before others started combing over the information and matching kink to culprit and posting the suspected true identities online and via social media.
Surprisingly, even though most people lie when they create such ‘dating’ profiles, a large portion of the database contains very real and recognizable information — like, usernames that appear on profiles outside AFF and match up to social media and third party profiles with the same dates of birth, zip codes and most importantly, email addresses. Also contained in the data base are user’s IP addresses when they connect to the site – which seems to be exposing public employees on tax payer time.
Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, described by some as a ‘controversial computer hacker and whistleblower,’ is one of those currently mining through the AFF data. And, he’s taking it a step further… in true JohnTV style, Auernheimer is posting his conclusions of individual identity on his Twitter stream. (examples below)…
Others took Auernheimer’s lead and began doing their own Internet sleuthing or simply providing pertinent commentary…
Follow the latest news on Twitter via the @AdultFriendFinder hashtag (and @AdultFriendFind hashtag).
Oh, and if you’re thinking “Thank God I deleted my AFF profile long ago…” think again! Many of the profiles contained in the hacked database are marked ‘deleted accounts.’
Of course, AFF didn’t bother to inform their customers of the data breach until long after the hack and not until the information began spreading like a raging case of herpes begotten from anonymous sex online…
You can read AFF’s entire update at this link. The best part? AFF thinks this is the information their customers want to hear, “It is important to note that, at this time, there is no evidence that any financial information or passwords were compromised.”
Seriously? These are not Target or Walmart customers. Does AFF think their patrons care more about their 100% fraud protected credit card numbers over the fact their overwhelmingly (and apparently identifiable) male customer base is about to be gutted as into cheating on their spouses, light to rough bondage, being urinated on and paying for it isn’t a problem.
One site that professes to provide at least some assurance as to whether or not your email address has been compromised is at HaveIBeenPwned.com.
A purported quote from AFF to media inquires reads in part… “We cannot speculate further about this issue, but rest assured, we pledge to take the appropriate steps needed to protect our customers if they are affected.” (like give them a couch to sleep on when their spouses deservedly kick their collective butts to the curb?)
As of this publication, FriendFinder Networks is not currently listing AdultFriendFinder.com on their corporate home page, though they are listing other similar Websites they own.
JohnTV will continue to follow this case.
The Takeaway:
The ‘takeaway’? That girl you think is really hot, a sexual tiger and is ‘in’ to your goofy looking ass – yeah, she’s not. She’s a backpage.com prostitute and you’re her trick. And, if you’re not careful, you might get your ass shot when you go to hookup with her – like happened to this guy…. LINK
Just live up to the public’s expectations when you create a profile on a ‘dating’ website and lie your ass off and whatever you do, don’t use your real photo, real name, real email address, real phone number, real date of birth, and username you’ve used elsewhere. And, heaven forbid, don’t be stupid enough to use your work computer with a very traceable IP address! But, you will, because the simple fact you’re even considering creating a profile on one of those websites proves you’re an idiot.
Additional Resources:
- ConsumerAffairs.com – AFF consumer complaints and reviews. LINK
- RipOffReport.com – Complaints regarding AFF. LINK
Somewhat Related Story:
- JohnTV: Foreign website is exposing and extorting alleged ‘Johns’ (ExposingJohns.com) — even here in Oklahoma. LINK