WATCH ABOVE: The head of the cheating website Ashley Madison resigned today. The website has been on a downward spiral since hackers stole it’s database and made the identities of its users public. Jennifer Tryon reports.
TORONTO – The CEO of Ashley Madison’s parent company Avid Life Media is stepping down in the wake of a massive data breach which exposed millions of users’ personal information.
Avid Life Media Inc. announced Friday that Noel Biderman has stepped down in what the company said was a “mutual agreement.”
The website, which facilitates extramarital affairs for a membership fee, was the victim of a cyberattack a month ago.
READ MORE: The business of cheating has never been better
An announcement from the company says its existing senior management team will lead the operations until a replacement is found.
“We are actively adjusting to the attack on our business and members’ privacy by criminals,” Avid Life said in a statement. “We will continue to provide access to our unique platforms for our worldwide members.”
The data breach by hacker group Impact Team exposed nearly 32 million memberships of the Toronto-based cheating website.
On Monday, Toronto police said officers are investigating two suicides that may have occurred as a result of the data breach.
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Toronto police are working with other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP.
“We are actively cooperating with international law enforcement in an effort to bring those responsible for the theft of proprietary member and business information to justice,” Avid Life Media said.
Some of the data that was released online includes at least seven years’ worth of credit card and payment information, names, email accounts, home addresses and message history.
READ MORE: How ‘white hat’ hackers could help in the Ashley Madison investigation
Last week, a $578 million national class-action lawsuit was launched for subscribers of Ashley Madison who had personal information released to the public.
The suit targets Avid Dating Life Inc. and Avid Life Media Inc.
Avid Life Media is offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those involved in the hack.
–with files from David Shum
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