Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. BusinessDesignEntertainmentGearScienceSecurity Advertisement. Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. Author: Kim Zetter. Kim Zetter Security Date of Publication: 08.24.15. 08.24.15 Time of Publication: 6:06 pm. 6:06 pm Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing SiteSTORY GettyImages-469135296blackClick to Open Overlay Gallery Getty ImagesWhile Ashley Madison and its parent company grapple with fallout from the recent hack of its network, emails released in the latest hacking leak indicate that the companys own former CTO may have hacked a competing dating site. According to an email exchange in November 2012, Ashley Madisons one-time CTO told colleagues, including the CEO of parent company Avid Life Media, that he had found a security hole in the web site of Nerve.com and used it to exfiltrate the competitors entire database. He also indicated that he had the ability to alter records in the database.They did a very lousy job building their platform. I got their entire user base, Raja Bhatia wrote Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Ashley Madisons parent company, and Rizwan Jiwan, the companys chief operating officer. Also, I can turn any non paying user into a paying user, vice versa, compose messages between users, check unread stats, etc.Bhatia had been the founding CTO of Avid Life Media, but was no longer associated with the company at the time he sent the email to Biderman and Jiwan. According to his Angel List page, he was CTO for ALM from 2007 to 2010.He noted in the email that he had posted a sample of the stolen database to a GitHub account and included a link to the GitHub site, although that post is no longer available online.Six months later, in May 2013, Biderman discussed whether he should disclose the vulnerability to Nerve.com. Should I tell them of their security hole? he wrote Bhatia. There is no apparent response among the leaked emails. Although the emails discuss setting up a phone call with Nerve.com, its not clear if ALM did disclose the vulnerability.Neither Avid Life Media nor Bhatia responded to a request for comment from WIRED.If Bhatia did in fact hack Nerve.com and exfiltrate its database, he could be criminally charged with unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. There is also great irony in Bhatia discussing a vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site, since other emails show that he was aware that AshleyMadison.com had security problems of its ownissues that the Impact Team, which has taken credit for the companys recent hack, exploited.With what we inherited with Ashley[Madison.com], security was an obvious afterthought, and I didnt focus on it either, Bhatia wrote in an email in early 2012, months before he disclosed finding the vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site. I am pretty sure we stored passwords without any cryptography so a database leak would expose all account credentials. In that email, Bhatia was responding to news of another hack that had recently targeted Grindr, a dating app aimed at gay and bisexual men. Despite an awareness of ALMs own vulnerabilities, CEO Biderman saw the downfall of competitors as an opportunity to promote himself and his business. It would be huge if we could get me on as a commentator on this, Biderman wrote after Snapchat was attacked in 2014.In 2012, Nerve.com had a dating platform that ALM considered purchasing. Nerves CEO was Sean Mills, who had previously been president of The Onion satirical news site and is currently head of original content for Snapchat. From looking at the emails in the recent data dump, its clear that ALM considered buying Nerve. The email chain indicates that ALM began considering the purchase after Rufus Grissom, a VP with Babble.com, sent Biderman an email in June 2012 suggesting it.Several years ago I spoke with Glenn Graff about his interest in buying Nerve on behalf of Avid Life, Griscom wrote. Not sure where you guys are today, but I think this could be pretty interesting for you to have a look at. Sean has created a very innovative dating platform, and leaving that aside the site has 1.4 million high value, organic uniques (about 50/50 men/women) and there is a lot brand loyalty out there.In April, someone else contacted Biderman, asking if he was interested in buying Nerve. He wrote back saying They reached out to us a couple of times not sure we are the best buyer for Nerve given what we focus on these days.A month later, however, Biderman and others were exchanging emails about Nerve.com and Flirts.com. Enclosed are the traffic and audience overviews for the second offering (Nerve.com), Christian Kalled wrote in an email to Leonard Latchman of LDL. As for Flirts.com, our working valuation for the URL and non-exclusive TM license is $300,000 USD. Latchman wrote back asking about setting up a meeting with the insurance guys. That email appeared in a thread in which Lachtman asked about setting up a video call, presumably with Nerve.com. Biderman sent Bhatia a separate email asking, Should I tell them of their security hole?Mills, the former CEO of Nerve.com, did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article. #ashley madison#hacksSkip Social. Skip to: Latest News. ShareShare285Tweet543Pin Comment2EmailSkip Latest News. Skip to: Comments. Latest NewsMasters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape MoSApeTV Masters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape2 hoursRyan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivalsfinally Ryan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here4 hours More News Skip Comments. Skip to: Footer. View comments Sponsored StoriesPowered By Outbrain CapterraThe Top 6 Free and Open Source Project Management Software for Your Small Business]AllBusiness5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a CRM ProviderAll That Is InterestingDrinking, Womanizing, And Plenty Of Smokes: The Real Mad MenAll That Is InterestingIngeniously Creative Ads That Will Make You Look TwiceDogs of the Dow10 Stocks that Gained the Most TodayMoneyMoney-Saving Tips From Billionaires That Everyone Should Know Guests look out from inside their rooms in the Wyndham Hotel in Pittsburg.victoriesCourt Says the FTC Can Slap Companies for Getting Hacked 5 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296Just inAshley Madison Offering $500K Reward for Info on Hackers 10 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296-hueExplainedAnswers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 SecurityRoundup_TopArt_01SecuritySecurity News This Week: Police Use Mobile Cell Phone Trackers to Avoid Court Orders 3 days Explained Answers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 We Recommend Brian BarrettWith USB-C, Thunderbolt May at Last Fulfill Its PromiseKim ZetterAshley Madison Hackers Release an Even Bigger Batch of DataEmily DreyfussHow to Check If You or a Loved One Were Exposed in the Ashley Madison HackDavid PiercePens Are Making a High-Tech ComebackLifeHack13 Highly Useful Free Programs and Websites That Any LifeHacker Must TryPowered By Outbrain Get OurNewsletter WIRED's biggest stories, delivered to your inbox. Submit Follow UsOn Facebook Don't miss our latest news, features and videos. Follow Previous Article Wired Facebook Wired Twitter Wired Pinterest Wired Youtube Wired Tumblr Wired Instagram Subscribe Advertise Site Map Press Center FAQ Customer Care Contact Us Newsletter Wired Staff Jobs RSS Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our user agreement (effective 3/21/12) and privacy policy (effective 3/21/12). Your California privacy rights. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. BusinessDesignEntertainmentGearScienceSecurity Advertisement. Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. Author: Kim Zetter. Kim Zetter Security Date of Publication: 08.24.15. 08.24.15 Time of Publication: 6:06 pm. 6:06 pm Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing SiteSTORY GettyImages-469135296blackClick to Open Overlay Gallery Getty ImagesWhile Ashley Madison and its parent company grapple with fallout from the recent hack of its network, emails released in the latest hacking leak indicate that the companys own former CTO may have hacked a competing dating site. According to an email exchange in November 2012, Ashley Madisons one-time CTO told colleagues, including the CEO of parent company Avid Life Media, that he had found a security hole in the web site of Nerve.com and used it to exfiltrate the competitors entire database. He also indicated that he had the ability to alter records in the database.They did a very lousy job building their platform. I got their entire user base, Raja Bhatia wrote Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Ashley Madisons parent company, and Rizwan Jiwan, the companys chief operating officer. Also, I can turn any non paying user into a paying user, vice versa, compose messages between users, check unread stats, etc.Bhatia had been the founding CTO of Avid Life Media, but was no longer associated with the company at the time he sent the email to Biderman and Jiwan. According to his Angel List page, he was CTO for ALM from 2007 to 2010.He noted in the email that he had posted a sample of the stolen database to a GitHub account and included a link to the GitHub site, although that post is no longer available online.Six months later, in May 2013, Biderman discussed whether he should disclose the vulnerability to Nerve.com. Should I tell them of their security hole? he wrote Bhatia. There is no apparent response among the leaked emails. Although the emails discuss setting up a phone call with Nerve.com, its not clear if ALM did disclose the vulnerability.Neither Avid Life Media nor Bhatia responded to a request for comment from WIRED.If Bhatia did in fact hack Nerve.com and exfiltrate its database, he could be criminally charged with unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. There is also great irony in Bhatia discussing a vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site, since other emails show that he was aware that AshleyMadison.com had security problems of its ownissues that the Impact Team, which has taken credit for the companys recent hack, exploited.With what we inherited with Ashley[Madison.com], security was an obvious afterthought, and I didnt focus on it either, Bhatia wrote in an email in early 2012, months before he disclosed finding the vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site. I am pretty sure we stored passwords without any cryptography so a database leak would expose all account credentials. In that email, Bhatia was responding to news of another hack that had recently targeted Grindr, a dating app aimed at gay and bisexual men. Despite an awareness of ALMs own vulnerabilities, CEO Biderman saw the downfall of competitors as an opportunity to promote himself and his business. It would be huge if we could get me on as a commentator on this, Biderman wrote after Snapchat was attacked in 2014.In 2012, Nerve.com had a dating platform that ALM considered purchasing. Nerves CEO was Sean Mills, who had previously been president of The Onion satirical news site and is currently head of original content for Snapchat. From looking at the emails in the recent data dump, its clear that ALM considered buying Nerve. The email chain indicates that ALM began considering the purchase after Rufus Grissom, a VP with Babble.com, sent Biderman an email in June 2012 suggesting it.Several years ago I spoke with Glenn Graff about his interest in buying Nerve on behalf of Avid Life, Griscom wrote. Not sure where you guys are today, but I think this could be pretty interesting for you to have a look at. Sean has created a very innovative dating platform, and leaving that aside the site has 1.4 million high value, organic uniques (about 50/50 men/women) and there is a lot brand loyalty out there.In April, someone else contacted Biderman, asking if he was interested in buying Nerve. He wrote back saying They reached out to us a couple of times not sure we are the best buyer for Nerve given what we focus on these days.A month later, however, Biderman and others were exchanging emails about Nerve.com and Flirts.com. Enclosed are the traffic and audience overviews for the second offering (Nerve.com), Christian Kalled wrote in an email to Leonard Latchman of LDL. As for Flirts.com, our working valuation for the URL and non-exclusive TM license is $300,000 USD. Latchman wrote back asking about setting up a meeting with the insurance guys. That email appeared in a thread in which Lachtman asked about setting up a video call, presumably with Nerve.com. Biderman sent Bhatia a separate email asking, Should I tell them of their security hole?Mills, the former CEO of Nerve.com, did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article. #ashley madison#hacksSkip Social. Skip to: Latest News. ShareShare285Tweet543Pin Comment2EmailSkip Latest News. Skip to: Comments. Latest NewsMasters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape MoSApeTV Masters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape2 hoursRyan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivalsfinally Ryan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here4 hours More News Skip Comments. Skip to: Footer. View comments Sponsored StoriesPowered By Outbrain CapterraThe Top 6 Free and Open Source Project Management Software for Your Small Business]AllBusiness5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a CRM ProviderAll That Is InterestingDrinking, Womanizing, And Plenty Of Smokes: The Real Mad MenAll That Is InterestingIngeniously Creative Ads That Will Make You Look TwiceDogs of the Dow10 Stocks that Gained the Most TodayMoneyMoney-Saving Tips From Billionaires That Everyone Should Know Guests look out from inside their rooms in the Wyndham Hotel in Pittsburg.victoriesCourt Says the FTC Can Slap Companies for Getting Hacked 5 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296Just inAshley Madison Offering $500K Reward for Info on Hackers 10 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296-hueExplainedAnswers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 SecurityRoundup_TopArt_01SecuritySecurity News This Week: Police Use Mobile Cell Phone Trackers to Avoid Court Orders 3 days Explained Answers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 We Recommend Brian BarrettWith USB-C, Thunderbolt May at Last Fulfill Its PromiseKim ZetterAshley Madison Hackers Release an Even Bigger Batch of DataEmily DreyfussHow to Check If You or a Loved One Were Exposed in the Ashley Madison HackDavid PiercePens Are Making a High-Tech ComebackLifeHack13 Highly Useful Free Programs and Websites That Any LifeHacker Must TryPowered By Outbrain Get OurNewsletter WIRED's biggest stories, delivered to your inbox. Submit Follow UsOn Facebook Don't miss our latest news, features and videos. Follow Previous Article Wired Facebook Wired Twitter Wired Pinterest Wired Youtube Wired Tumblr Wired Instagram Subscribe Advertise Site Map Press Center FAQ Customer Care Contact Us Newsletter Wired Staff Jobs RSS Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our user agreement (effective 3/21/12) and privacy policy (effective 3/21/12). Your California privacy rights. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. BusinessDesignEntertainmentGearScienceSecurity Advertisement. Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. Author: Kim Zetter. Kim Zetter Security Date of Publication: 08.24.15. 08.24.15 Time of Publication: 6:06 pm. 6:06 pm Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing SiteSTORY GettyImages-469135296blackClick to Open Overlay Gallery Getty ImagesWhile Ashley Madison and its parent company grapple with fallout from the recent hack of its network, emails released in the latest hacking leak indicate that the companys own former CTO may have hacked a competing dating site. According to an email exchange in November 2012, Ashley Madisons one-time CTO told colleagues, including the CEO of parent company Avid Life Media, that he had found a security hole in the web site of Nerve.com and used it to exfiltrate the competitors entire database. He also indicated that he had the ability to alter records in the database.They did a very lousy job building their platform. I got their entire user base, Raja Bhatia wrote Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Ashley Madisons parent company, and Rizwan Jiwan, the companys chief operating officer. Also, I can turn any non paying user into a paying user, vice versa, compose messages between users, check unread stats, etc.Bhatia had been the founding CTO of Avid Life Media, but was no longer associated with the company at the time he sent the email to Biderman and Jiwan. According to his Angel List page, he was CTO for ALM from 2007 to 2010.He noted in the email that he had posted a sample of the stolen database to a GitHub account and included a link to the GitHub site, although that post is no longer available online.Six months later, in May 2013, Biderman discussed whether he should disclose the vulnerability to Nerve.com. Should I tell them of their security hole? he wrote Bhatia. There is no apparent response among the leaked emails. Although the emails discuss setting up a phone call with Nerve.com, its not clear if ALM did disclose the vulnerability.Neither Avid Life Media nor Bhatia responded to a request for comment from WIRED.If Bhatia did in fact hack Nerve.com and exfiltrate its database, he could be criminally charged with unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. There is also great irony in Bhatia discussing a vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site, since other emails show that he was aware that AshleyMadison.com had security problems of its ownissues that the Impact Team, which has taken credit for the companys recent hack, exploited.With what we inherited with Ashley[Madison.com], security was an obvious afterthought, and I didnt focus on it either, Bhatia wrote in an email in early 2012, months before he disclosed finding the vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site. I am pretty sure we stored passwords without any cryptography so a database leak would expose all account credentials. In that email, Bhatia was responding to news of another hack that had recently targeted Grindr, a dating app aimed at gay and bisexual men. Despite an awareness of ALMs own vulnerabilities, CEO Biderman saw the downfall of competitors as an opportunity to promote himself and his business. It would be huge if we could get me on as a commentator on this, Biderman wrote after Snapchat was attacked in 2014.In 2012, Nerve.com had a dating platform that ALM considered purchasing. Nerves CEO was Sean Mills, who had previously been president of The Onion satirical news site and is currently head of original content for Snapchat. From looking at the emails in the recent data dump, its clear that ALM considered buying Nerve. The email chain indicates that ALM began considering the purchase after Rufus Grissom, a VP with Babble.com, sent Biderman an email in June 2012 suggesting it.Several years ago I spoke with Glenn Graff about his interest in buying Nerve on behalf of Avid Life, Griscom wrote. Not sure where you guys are today, but I think this could be pretty interesting for you to have a look at. Sean has created a very innovative dating platform, and leaving that aside the site has 1.4 million high value, organic uniques (about 50/50 men/women) and there is a lot brand loyalty out there.In April, someone else contacted Biderman, asking if he was interested in buying Nerve. He wrote back saying They reached out to us a couple of times not sure we are the best buyer for Nerve given what we focus on these days.A month later, however, Biderman and others were exchanging emails about Nerve.com and Flirts.com. Enclosed are the traffic and audience overviews for the second offering (Nerve.com), Christian Kalled wrote in an email to Leonard Latchman of LDL. As for Flirts.com, our working valuation for the URL and non-exclusive TM license is $300,000 USD. Latchman wrote back asking about setting up a meeting with the insurance guys. That email appeared in a thread in which Lachtman asked about setting up a video call, presumably with Nerve.com. Biderman sent Bhatia a separate email asking, Should I tell them of their security hole?Mills, the former CEO of Nerve.com, did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article. #ashley madison#hacksSkip Social. Skip to: Latest News. ShareShare285Tweet543Pin Comment2EmailSkip Latest News. Skip to: Comments. Latest NewsMasters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape MoSApeTV Masters of Sex GIF and a Graf: Virginia Flashes an Ape2 hoursRyan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivalsfinally Ryan Adams Cover of Taylor Swifts 1989 Is Almost Here4 hours More News Skip Comments. Skip to: Footer. View comments Sponsored StoriesPowered By Outbrain CapterraThe Top 6 Free and Open Source Project Management Software for Your Small Business]AllBusiness5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a CRM ProviderAll That Is InterestingDrinking, Womanizing, And Plenty Of Smokes: The Real Mad MenAll That Is InterestingIngeniously Creative Ads That Will Make You Look TwiceDogs of the Dow10 Stocks that Gained the Most TodayMoneyMoney-Saving Tips From Billionaires That Everyone Should Know Guests look out from inside their rooms in the Wyndham Hotel in Pittsburg.victoriesCourt Says the FTC Can Slap Companies for Getting Hacked 5 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296Just inAshley Madison Offering $500K Reward for Info on Hackers 10 hours FEATURED GettyImages-469135296-hueExplainedAnswers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 SecurityRoundup_TopArt_01SecuritySecurity News This Week: Police Use Mobile Cell Phone Trackers to Avoid Court Orders 3 days Explained Answers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack 08.21.15 We Recommend Brian BarrettWith USB-C, Thunderbolt May at Last Fulfill Its PromiseKim ZetterAshley Madison Hackers Release an Even Bigger Batch of DataEmily DreyfussHow to Check If You or a Loved One Were Exposed in the Ashley Madison HackDavid PiercePens Are Making a High-Tech ComebackLifeHack13 Highly Useful Free Programs and Websites That Any LifeHacker Must TryPowered By Outbrain Get OurNewsletter WIRED's biggest stories, delivered to your inbox. Submit Follow UsOn Facebook Don't miss our latest news, features and videos. Follow Previous Article Wired Facebook Wired Twitter Wired Pinterest Wired Youtube Wired Tumblr Wired Instagram Subscribe Advertise Site Map Press Center FAQ Customer Care Contact Us Newsletter Wired Staff Jobs RSS Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our user agreement (effective 3/21/12) and privacy policy (effective 3/21/12). Your California privacy rights. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Skip to: Start of article Visually Open Nav. Go to Wired Home Page. Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site SUBSCRIBE Open Search Field. BusinessDesignEntertainmentGearScienceSecurity Advertisement. Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. Author: Kim Zetter. Kim Zetter Security Date of Publication: 08.24.15. 08.24.15 Time of Publication: 6:06 pm. 6:06 pm Ashley Madison Leak Reveals Its Ex-CTO Hacked Competing SiteSTORY GettyImages-469135296blackClick to Open Overlay Gallery Getty ImagesWhile Ashley Madison and its parent company grapple with fallout from the recent hack of its network, emails released in the latest hacking leak indicate that the companys own former CTO may have hacked a competing dating site. According to an email exchange in November 2012, Ashley Madisons one-time CTO told colleagues, including the CEO of parent company Avid Life Media, that he had found a security hole in the web site of Nerve.com and used it to exfiltrate the competitors entire database. He also indicated that he had the ability to alter records in the database.They did a very lousy job building their platform. I got their entire user base, Raja Bhatia wrote Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Ashley Madisons parent company, and Rizwan Jiwan, the companys chief operating officer. Also, I can turn any non paying user into a paying user, vice versa, compose messages between users, check unread stats, etc.Bhatia had been the founding CTO of Avid Life Media, but was no longer associated with the company at the time he sent the email to Biderman and Jiwan. According to his Angel List page, he was CTO for ALM from 2007 to 2010.He noted in the email that he had posted a sample of the stolen database to a GitHub account and included a link to the GitHub site, although that post is no longer available online.Six months later, in May 2013, Biderman discussed whether he should disclose the vulnerability to Nerve.com. Should I tell them of their security hole? he wrote Bhatia. There is no apparent response among the leaked emails. Although the emails discuss setting up a phone call with Nerve.com, its not clear if ALM did disclose the vulnerability.Neither Avid Life Media nor Bhatia responded to a request for comment from WIRED.If Bhatia did in fact hack Nerve.com and exfiltrate its database, he could be criminally charged with unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. There is also great irony in Bhatia discussing a vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site, since other emails show that he was aware that AshleyMadison.com had security problems of its ownissues that the Impact Team, which has taken credit for the companys recent hack, exploited.With what we inherited with Ashley[Madison.com], security was an obvious afterthought, and I didnt focus on it either, Bhatia wrote in an email in early 2012, months before he disclosed finding the vulnerability in Nerve.coms web site. I am pretty sure we stored passwords without any cryptography so a database leak would expose all account credentials. In that email, Bhatia was responding to news of another hack that had recently targeted Grindr, a dating app aimed at gay and bisexual men. Despite an awareness of ALMs own vulnerabilities, CEO Biderman saw the downfall of competitors as an opportunity to promote himself and his business. It would be huge if we could get me on as a commentator on this, Biderman wrote after Snapchat was attacked in 2014.In 2012, Nerve.com had a dating platform that ALM considered purchasing. Nerves CEO was Sean Mills, who had previously been president of The Onion satirical news site and is currently head of original content for Snapchat. From looking at the emails in the recent data dump, its clear that ALM considered buying Nerve. The email chain indicates that ALM began considering the purchase after Rufus Grissom, a VP with Babble.com, sent Biderman an email in June 2012 suggesting it.Several years ago I spoke with Glenn Graff about his interest in buying Nerve on behalf of Avid Life, Griscom wrote. Not sure where you guys are today, but I think this could be pretty interesting for you to have a look at. Sean has created a very innovative dating platform, and leaving that aside the site has 1.4 million high value, organic uniques (about 50/50 men/women) and there is a lot brand loyalty out there.In April, someone else contacted Biderman, asking if he was interested in buying Nerve. He wrote back saying They reached out to us a couple of times not sure we are the best buyer for Nerve given what we focus on these days.A month later, however, Biderman and others were exchanging emails about Nerve.com and Flirts.com. Enclosed are the traffic and audience overviews for the second offering (Nerve.com), Christian Kalled wrote in an email to Leonard Latchman of LDL. As for Flirts.com, our working valuation for the URL and non-exclusive TM license is $300,000 USD. Latchman wrote back asking about setting up a meeting with the insurance guys. That email appeared in a thread in which Lachtman asked about setting up a video call, presumably with Nerve.com. Biderman sent Bhatia a separate email asking, Should I tell them of their security hole?Mills, the former CEO of Nerve.com, did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article. #ashley madison#hacksSkip Social. Skip to: Latest News. ShareShare285Tweet543Pin Comment2EmailSkip Latest News. Skip to: Comments. 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