Adult FriendFinder, a website designed to help people find sex partners online, has called in police and private investigators to look into a "serious breach" that has compromised the accounts of up to 3.9 million current and former members.
Private information including email addresses and sexual preferences have been leaked, Channel 4 reports. The stolen data also exposes which members are in a relationship but are willing to cheat on their partners.
The hack "exposes millions of people to the threat of blackmail", Channel 4's technology producer Geoff White says. "The hack data is a gold mine for extortionists. It indicates whether users are gay, looking for swingers parties or even seeking an extramarital affair."
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The leak exposes former members as well as current members, meaning that anyone who has signed up to the service in the past but has since cancelled an account could still be compromised by the attack.
"FriendFinder Networks Inc. has only just been made aware of this potential issue and understands and fully appreciates the seriousness of the issue," the firm said in an emailed statement.
It added: "We have already begun working closely with law enforcement and have launched a comprehensive investigation with the help of leading third-party forensics expert, Mandiant.
"Until the investigation is completed, it will be difficult to determine with certainty the full scope of the incident, but we will continue to work vigilantly to address this potential issue and will provide updates as we learn more from our investigation.
"We cannot speculate further about this issue, but rest assured, we pledge to take the appropriate steps needed to protect our customers if they are affected."
The data leak also exposes how few users of the site appear to be female. Of the 26,939 users registered with British email addresses only 1,596, or one in six, identify as female.
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