A group of hackers linked to Iran started leaking Tuesday what they claimed are private messages and information from a popular gay dating app in Israel.
The hackers, known as Black Shadow, said they were posting personal information from users of the app Atraf because the $1 million digital-currency ransom demand they made on Sunday had gone unmet, according to The Jerusalem Post.
'48 hours ended! Nobody send us money,' Black Shadow purportedly posted on Telegram. 'This is not the end, we have more plan.'
The group initially hacked into CyberServe, the Israeli internet hosting company that hosts servers for Atraf and other sites.
The hackers posted purported screenshots showing a representative agreeing to pay $500,000 to the blackmailers, though CyberServe has denied negotiating with Black Shadow.
By Tuesday evening, Black Shadow had also leaked detailed medical records from an Israeli hospital.
Black Shadow, a hacker collective with links to Iran, has begun leaking personal information belonging to users of Atraf, a popular Israeli gay dating site. The leak started Tuesday after the cyber attackers' $1 million wasn't met
Atraf, Hebrew slang for 'craziness,' launched in 2002 as a Tel Aviv-based gay website and now includes an app that offers geolocation-based dating and a nightlife index.
It's become something of the default dating site for gay Israelis: the company claims some 3 million messages are sent by 250,000 active users each day. Members can also purchase tickets to parties and other events.
As the ransom deadline passed on Tuesday, Black Shadow uploaded dating-app info, including chats and ticket purchases, and threatened to out closeted celebrities.
'Atraf's team did not contact us for any deal's yet so we collected 50 famous Israeli that were surfing and we leak their videos,' the hackers threatened on Telegram, according to The Times of Israel.
The Atraf app and website are down and developers did not immediately respond to inquiries from DailyMail.com.
The group initially hacked into CyberServe, the Israeli internet hosting company that hosts servers for Atraf and other sites, including two bus companies, a children's museum and a tour-booking firm
Atraf claims some 3 million messages are sent by 250,000 active users each day on its app. Both the app and Atraf website are down as a result of the cyberattack
'We still don't know what they have,' one user posted on Facebook. 'Pictures? Correspondence? Credit details? Phone numbers? Mail and home addresses? What did they manage to take?'
While Israel is far more LGBTQ-friendly than its Middle Eastern neighbors, some Atraf members are worried family members and friends learning about their sexual orientation, kinks or even their HIV status.
'It's awful to break into my personal space and threaten to reveal my correspondence and pictures,' One closeted twentysomething from Tel Aviv told Ynet News.
'My family and friends know nothing [about my being gay],' he added. 'It's very problematic for me, and I'm really helpless these days and do not know what to do.'
Black Shadow screenshots of what it said were negotiations over the ransom on Telegram, though its not clear who the hackers are interacting with. CyberServe has denied negotiating with Black Shadow
In an alleged Telegram conversation posted by Black Shadow, the hackers push back against a
