Dating Websites and Apps That Got Hacked

Online dating is often compared to a landmine with catfishers, scammers and abusers symbolizing the many dangers. However, even if you manage to avoid these obstacles, there is no guarantee that someone won’t ultimately stab you at the finish line. We are, of course, talking about hackers, who seem to make it a sport to compromise dating sites. 2016 was an especially busy year for them, where they leaked the personal information of millions of users. Luckily there are a few methods to avoid any major headaches and not becoming a victim.

The terrible aftermath of privacy leaks

Security breaches on dating sites are absolutely no joke. In most cases, the attackers exploit weaknesses in the site’s authentication system to force their way into the database. Although companies often deploy encryption as a secondary line of defense, cracking it at that point is not a big challenge. The intruder’s loot is tantalizing since dating sites keep all your sensitive information on file, including IP address, username, password, income, sexual orientation and – as seen with Muslim Match – even private messages.

Can your identity be protected?

There is very little you can do after such a leak has happened, therefore you must concentrate on prevention and be protective of your privacy. First of all, don’t use your Facebook profile during registration. Most dating sites offer the chance to link the two accounts to save time on the profile setup, but it’s a huge security risk. Use a custom email address created just for this purpose. Also, come up with a different password so the hackers can’t get access to any of your other accounts. Next, consider using a VPN while accessing the dating site; matchmaking services love to collect information about you, including your IP address.