Cyber Incident Victim: AfrikaDating.com
Date:
Jul 2016
Location:
Morocco
Summary
A Moroccan hacker targeting escort-related platforms breached AfrikaDating.com, resulting in the exposure of 12,738 user records. This incident occurred alongside a compromise of AdultSingleSites.com.au, which saw 67,118 records leaked, as part of a broader campaign affecting multiple dating sites. The dating platform's data was publicly dumped online, though specific details regarding the nature of the exposed information were not disclosed. These breaches coincided with separate intrusions impacting two Muslim-focused dating services, collectively highlighting a pattern of attacks against niche dating websites during this period.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The AfrikaDating.com breach occurred in June 2016 as part of a broader campaign targeting dating platforms, with a Moroccan hacker compromising multiple sites. Attackers focused on escort-related dating services, leading to the exposure of 12,738 user records from AfrikaDating.com alongside 67,118 records from AdultSingleSites.com.au. This incident preceded two subsequent Muslim dating site breaches disclosed in July 2016—Shadi.com (2,035,020 records with cleartext passwords) on July 10 and MuslimMatch.com (150,000 accounts with MD5-hashed passwords) earlier that month. The hacker publicly dumped the stolen AfrikaDating.com data, though specific details about the types of compromised information beyond the record count weren't disclosed in available reports. No technical details regarding the attack vector or duration of system access were confirmed for AfrikaDating.com.
The breach exposed sensitive user information, though the exact data elements beyond account records remained unspecified. Third-party services like LeakedSource and Have I Been Pwned? provided verification mechanisms for affected users across all compromised platforms. No direct statements from AfrikaDating.com operators or mitigation measures were documented in public reports. The incident highlighted risks to niche dating platforms, with attackers sequentially targeting Muslim-focused and escort-affiliated sites within weeks. Data from all four services remained accessible through unauthorized channels following the leaks, though no further exploitation patterns were formally attributed to these breaches.