New Documentary 'The Ashley Madison Affair' Explores 2015 Hack
A new documentary, 'The Ashley Madison Affair', starts today on Hulu in the US and Disney in the UK. It explores the 2015 hack of the infidelity website Ashley Madison, delving into potential suspects and lesser-known events surrounding the breach.
The series features interviews with various parties, including security experts, journalists, Ashley Madison executives, victims of the breach, and jilted spouses. One key figure, William Brewster Harrison, a former employee, sent anti-Semitic and harassing emails to CEO Noel Biderman before his 2014 suicide. Executives suspected Harrison's involvement in exposing fake female accounts in 2012. However, Harrison committed suicide in 2014, making him unlikely to be the 'Chaos-Creator' behind the 2015 hack.
The documentary reveals that the top suspect in the 2015 hack had already passed away over a year before the data dump. Harrison was known for creating fake female accounts and harassing those he believed wronged him, running sites like Bash-a-Business.com and Contact-a-CEO.com. After his 2011 termination, he threatened Biderman and other executives with anonymous emails and spoofed phone calls.
While Harrison's actions raised suspicions, his suicide in 2014 rules him out as the 'Chaos-Creator' behind the 2015 Ashley Madison hack. The documentary aims to shed light on the events leading up to the breach and its aftermath, featuring interviews with those closest to the scandal.
