Last week, we reported on the new Hulu documentary series that delves into the 2015 Ashley Madison hack. Today, we continue the story with a closer look at the Chaos Maker—the former employee believed to be responsible for the breach.
It was a Sunday evening when news broke that AshleyMadison.com had been hacked. The message came through the contact form on KrebsOnSecurity.com, and it included links to confidential documents as well as a manifesto from a hacking group called the Impact Team. The group threatened to leak data on all 37 million Ashley Madison users unless the site voluntarily closed within 30 days.
The leaked documents contained highly sensitive information such as user account data, maps of internal servers, employee network account information, bank account data, and salary information. One document, in particular, stood out—it included the cell phone number for Noel Biderman, the CEO of Ashley Madison’s parent company at the time, Avid Life Media (ALM). When Biderman was reached for comment, he admitted that they had been hacked.
In August 2015, the Impact Team made good on their threat and leaked 60 gigabytes of Ashley Madison user data. This led to the public shaming and extortion of many users, as well as tragic consequences such as suicides. Some users lost their jobs or marriages as a result. Surprisingly, no one has been charged in connection with the hack, and Ashley Madison continues to operate successfully.
One of the key suspects in the breach was William Brewster Harrison, a former employee of ALM. Harrison was known for his expertise in search engine optimization (SEO) and had been hired by ALM in 2010 to promote its various adult brands online. It was discovered that one of his roles was to create and maintain female profiles on Ashley Madison, as well as write blogs that appeared to be written by new female users.
Interestingly, it seems that Harrison had been affiliated with Ashley Madison even before his official employment. It is unclear whether the company conducted a background check on Harrison, as they would have found a troubling history of misdemeanors and criminal charges against him. Harrison’s life was falling apart at the time of his employment with ALM—he had filed for bankruptcy, his marriage was falling apart, and he faced DUI charges.
Had ALM conducted a thorough background check, they would have also discovered that Harrison had a history of creating websites to attack companies he felt had wronged him or his family. Some of these websites included defamatory content about executives and businesses. Additionally, Harrison had an online presence as a self-styled rapper who wrote rhymes that targeted corporate America.
While working for ALM, Harrison also went after the company’s enemies. One of his targets was the owner of AshleyMadisonSucks.com, whom he harassed through multiple email accounts. When the owner refused to sell the site, Harrison launched an unrelenting campaign of online harassment and blackmail. He even targeted the owner’s lawyer and wife.
Harrison’s employment with ALM came to an end in November 2011, but things didn’t end there. The leaked emails suggest that Harrison had a tumultuous relationship with his employers, and his termination likely sparked his desire for revenge.
The revelations about Harrison shed light on the chaos behind the scenes of the Ashley Madison hack. While it remains uncertain whether he was solely responsible for the breach, his involvement cannot be ignored. The documentary series on Hulu will undoubtedly explore this further, uncovering the untold story of the Ashley Madison hack and its aftermath.