What is the Ashley Madison leak database?

The Ashley Madison leak database refers to the massive breach of data that occurred in July 2015 when a group called "The Impact Team" hacked into the systems of Ashley Madison, a website designed to facilitate extramarital affairs. The hackers claimed moral high ground in their actions, accusing the site of promoting immoral behavior and also criticizing its practices related to data retention, particularly charging users for the "full delete" service which allegedly did not work as advertised. In August 2015, the hackers released more than 25 gigabytes of company data, including user profiles, email addresses, payment transactions, and other sensitive personal information. This release exposed millions of individuals worldwide, leading to public embarrassment for some, and in more severe cases, blackmail and extortion. The incident sparked widespread discussions about internet privacy, cybersecurity, and the morality of both the hackers' actions and the extramarital affairs facilitated by the site.