Ashley Madison chief executive steps down after hack

The boss of Ashley Madison has stepped down following a disastrous hacking attack that saw details of millions of the adultery website's users leaked into the public domain.

Noel Biderman is to the leave the firm immediately, Ashley Madison's parent Avid Life Media said.

"This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees," the Toronto-based company said.

The website, which carries the slogan "Life is short. Have an affair" and which promises anonymity for members, was attacked last month by cyber guerrilla group Impact Team.

They group threatened to release the details of its 37 million users because they are ‘cheating dirtbags and deserve no such discretion' and came good on the pledge last week.

British civil servants, top bank staff and UN workers were apparently among those whose information appeared in the data dump.

Canadian police said this week that two people may have committed suicide following the hack. Extortion attempts against those involved have also been reported.

Additional reporting by Reuters