Ashley Madison finally admits to sleazy fake fembots

By Harrison Kaminsky July 9, 2016

Ashley Madison Hack

For a company that’s supposed to be keeping things on the down-low for its users, infidelity network Ashley Madison revealed a few secrets of its own this week.

Nearly a year after a hack on the site leaked more than 60 gigabytes of user data, the company is speaking out to officially announce its new CEO Rob Segal, and president James Millership, three months into their new roles. A company release spoke out on past issues with the site in hopes of regaining user trust to move beyond previous missteps.

One big, widely reported misstep: fake users. According to Ashley Madison execs, a team of “independent forensic accounting investigators” found the company had used bots to appear as female users on the site to lure men into spending money.

“My understanding is that bots are widespread in the industry, but they are no longer being used, and will not be used, at Avid Life Media and Ashley Madison,” Millership said.

The bots were discovered by Gizmodo last year, but this is the first time the company has acknowledged their use on its site.

The company claims to have discontinued the practice of using fembots on the site in North America in 2014 and internationally in 2015. It offered no evidence of this, however.

In addition to stating a new focus on rebranding, investments in technology, and a repositioning of the company in the eyes of consumers, Segal said Ashley Madison will heavily work on security enhancements and privacy safeguards.

The company partnered with Deloitte’s cyber security team “to implement new and enhanced security safeguards and 24/7 monitoring,” and will soon offer new, secure payment options for users.

“A year ago, Avid Life Media was silenced by a devastating criminal hack that affected our company and some of our members,” Segal said in the release. “The company is truly sorry for how people’s lives and relationships may have been affected by the criminal theft of personal information. That’s why we’re charting a new course and making some big changes.”

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Harrison Kaminsky

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Harrison’s obsession in the tech space originated in his father’s electronics store in Denville, New Jersey, where he…

Web

Ashley Madison seeks to emerge from troubles with a major rebrand

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Adultery just got a rebrand. After a quiet few months that resulted from the massive 25-gigabyte data leak of late 2015, Avid Life Media (which owns and operates Ashley Madison) has announced its reemergence as Ruby Corp., and is further "repositioning its Ashley Madison flagship brand." As new CEO Rob Segal noted in a statement, "It's a new day at Ruby and renaming our Topco is an important step in our journey to completely rebuild the company as a relevant, digital dating innovator that truly cares for our customers."

Of the many changes slated for release, Segal notes that Ruby has finally done away with Ashley Madison's well-known, contentious slogan: "Life is Short. Have an Affair." Said Segal, "It was a limiting label that's out-dated and doesn't speak to the wide variety of connections people find on Ashley Madison. Close to 45 percent of our members are single, over 50 percent are attached and they are interested in a wide range of experiences." He added, "While remaining true to our roots, Ashley Madison needs to evolve, grow, and attune to modern sexuality in 2016." Which apparently, includes (but is not limited to) having an affair.

Computing

FBI finally warns private businesses about snooping KeySweeper devices

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The FBI’s Cyber Division is just now getting around to warning the private industry about a fake USB device charger that can log the keystrokes of certain wireless keyboards. The government is talking about KeySweeper, which was first revealed as a proof-of-concept attack platform by Samy Kamkar 15 months before the FBI’s current notification. Kamkar used a USB-based phone charger in his demonstration to show how this platform could reside anywhere and steal/decrypt keystrokes from any Microsoft-branded wireless keyboard in the vicinity.

“If placed strategically in an office or other location where individuals might use wireless devices, a malicious cyber actor could potentially harvest personally identifiable information, intellectual property, trade secrets, passwords, or other sensitive information," the FBI warns. “Since the data is intercepted prior to reaching the CPU, security managers may not have insight into how sensitive information is being stolen.”

Social Media

Virgin founder reposts fake final words of Steve Jobs

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Have you ever been worried that you’re too easy to fool to ever make it in life? Fret not, take a look at billionaire, space fan, and founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson. As Branson was doing his thing, be it brushing his teeth or attempting a triple back flip, he came across an e-mail sharing the final words of Steve Jobs, the deceased co-founder and CEO of Apple.

Of course, those weren’t the final words of Steve Jobs at all. They were fake, and as it happened, they offered the kind of anti-materialistic message you’re likely to come across at least once a day if you’re scrolling through social media. Branson later explained that while he at first thought those final words of Steve’s were true, he only later came to realize it was fake. But he didn’t lose faith. “When I thought they were the final utterances of the entrepreneur I most admired, they inspired me. Now I know they were not, they still inspire me. Should they no longer be relevant because they are inaccurate,” he wrote.