Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

krebsonsecurity.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

301–308 of 308 posts

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#301

Post by SZJX »

vezzy-fnord wrote: post #18
smtddr wrote: post #2

I don't condone this hack, but morals/ethics aside for a moment: The one positive thing this hack has done is really give serious ammo to the battle for online privacy, because the demographic hit by this hack is the most politically & economically powerful demographic in the world....

I'd argue the opposite. The AM hack hasn't helped at all, since enough people view it as a just retribution due to it being about a pet moral value that is held dear, namely marital fidelity. And to others, it's all a big joke. The cheating cheaters (who likely never got the opportunity to cheat) have been named and shamed, and because of those asserting that it's acceptable to do this if it strokes their personal mo…

Not really. Those who don't hold this moral value will still think it's a privacy breach. If they think it's a joke and don't take it seriously, then it's some other problem instead of "moral vendetta"

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#302

Post by SZJX »

thret wrote: post #257
Tloewald wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once privacy disappears we can actually base our morality on data rather than wishful thinking. It's the transition period (i.e. now) where we have pretty arbitrary morals largely based on ancient religious texts, etc. and we're finally getting actual data on what people actually do that is the nasty part. E.g. we know that rich people have always obtained abortions, used illegal drugs, and had promiscuous sex, but p…

These aren't arbitrary just because they are enshrined in religion and custom. Before the pill, women couldn't sleep around without fear of getting pregnant. Before condoms, people couldn't sleep around without fear of STDs. Before DNA testing husbands couldn't be sure they were the father of their own children if their wife had an affair. Before modern medicine, abortion carried a significant risk of complications -…

Well said. Though of course another aspect of those social institutions was hierarchical stability: if a peasant married a nobility, had a child, and then gained claim to this family's assets then all would go to pots soon. On the contrary a marriage between two noble families would create political bonds to benefit them both. In fact the notion of "romantic love" didn't really exist until the renaissance (though unfortunately now we know pretty well this notion is also quite BS and against human nature anyways). Now with productivity largely increased and ordinary people having much more economic power such an institution has no reason to stand. It's just that social changes mostly occur slower than technical/economic basis for them.

And indeed, a relationship has to be based on mutual agreement and trust. If both sides agree this relationship to be open, then there's no problem at all. It's only problematic if they reached an agreement when starting the relationship, but later couldn't adhere to it. If no deal, then no relationship. If there's a deal, then you'll have to follow through.

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#303

Post by kibibu »

atmosx wrote: post #187
laxatives wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most surprising part of that story to me is that AC/DC is Australian. I had no idea. I always assumed they were Brits.

I was 100% sure they were Brits with atrong connection to the working class of the UK, etc. Other than that, another idiot who is actively trying to get some attention, by doing illegal things online, nothing new, nothing special.

The "Long Way to the Top" video was filmed on the back of a flat-bed ute driving through Melbourne, and it's awesome.

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#304

Post by fjbarrett »

philangist wrote: post #14

> They said Avid Life employees first learned about the breach on July 12 (seven days before my initial story) when they came into work, turned on their computers and saw a threatening message from the Impact Team accompanied by the anthem “Thunderstruck” by Australian rock band AC/DC playing in the background. This reads like a scene straight out of Hackers or some other campy tech movie. Life imitates art.

True. Can't believe they actually pulled something like that

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#306

Post by Shorel »

Tloewald wrote: post #183
x5n1 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future is a future where no semblance of privacy exists. In the year 3000: "Truth about the ugliness of the human race will finally be revealed when every single detail about anyone's life is public knowledge available to all."

Once privacy disappears we can actually base our morality on data rather than wishful thinking. It's the transition period (i.e. now) where we have pretty arbitrary morals largely based on ancient religious texts, etc. and we're finally getting actual data on what people actually do that is the nasty part. E.g. we know that rich people have always obtained abortions, used illegal drugs, and had promiscuous sex, but p…

We will have something far more sinister than just a data based morality.

The planet is overpopulated and it can't sustain that many people. In one hundred years it will be even worse, and measures more drastic than the Chinese one child per family policy will be taken.

The total loss of privacy will let the world rulers choose who gets to live and who doesn't, with ruthless efficiency and, having records of everything questionable everyone has done, no opposition whatsoever.

I guess it will have even plenty of public support.

After the purge, the statistics based morality will rule uncontested.

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#307

Post by Shorel »

thret wrote: post #257
Tloewald wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once privacy disappears we can actually base our morality on data rather than wishful thinking. It's the transition period (i.e. now) where we have pretty arbitrary morals largely based on ancient religious texts, etc. and we're finally getting actual data on what people actually do that is the nasty part. E.g. we know that rich people have always obtained abortions, used illegal drugs, and had promiscuous sex, but p…

These aren't arbitrary just because they are enshrined in religion and custom. Before the pill, women couldn't sleep around without fear of getting pregnant. Before condoms, people couldn't sleep around without fear of STDs. Before DNA testing husbands couldn't be sure they were the father of their own children if their wife had an affair. Before modern medicine, abortion carried a significant risk of complications -…

Or legalize against the advances in question.

In France it is illegal to DNA test you 'own' children, and the doctors will lie to you as a policy, to avoid 'broken homes'.

Re: Who Hacked Ashley Madison?

#308

Post by gwern »

bduerst wrote: post #297
gwern wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> even if you tumble you are setting yourself for getting caught by repeatedly doing the same actions. By doing what? Making payments to an address? > Besides, the value of the information decreases over time, meaning you're going to be making the large payments up front. Any lumpsum can be structured as an equivalent series of regular payments. Whatever the present value of not having the data released is, it can be…

You know how the blockchain works, right? Those transactions become permanently public, and can be used against you in court if at any time in the infinite future you are tied to that address, or tied to any addresses pulling bitcoins out of that account (which are also publicly recorded actions). Compared to cash, which is not a matter of public record, bitcoin is not a " Perfectly Adequate " solution. Without contr…

> You know how the blockchain works, right?

You apparently don't. Payments do not in themselves offer any risk whatsoever when the payments are made to a brand-new address (which is so obvious and basic a point of secure Bitcoin use I didn't need to mention it); these payments to the blackmailer can then be mixed in numerous ways at varying costs and levels of efficacy - Coinjoin, a large DNM, a web wallet, an exchange (either to just gradually withdraw, or sell outright into another cryptocoin & then sell that cryptocoin at a different exchange, particularly one of the cryptocoins with built-in anonymity features), sent to stealth addresses, etc etc. The pseudonymity of this does not affect the mechanism of turning a lump sum into a stream of payments: the payments can be safely made with reasonable levels of transaction costs, and thus the blackmailed and blackmailers can transact safely and keep the data private or not, with neither side being ripped off for more than one payment.

> The hackers are rationally incentivized to maximize their returns, and that includes selling the data to the highest bidder before the price depreciates. That means that Ashley Madison would need to beat the highest bidder each month, without knowing if the other bidders are even real.

If the hackers are bluffing, then AM can always call their bluff. If AM is not confident they are bluffing, then they will simply pay up to the value of keeping the data secret. Where's the problem here? Again, why does a stream of payments fail where lump sums would succeed?

Post reply on HN