Some users even frantically posted requests for hackers on Craigslist and other message boards, and also confided in Troy Hunt, a security researcher, hoping to somehow expunge their record.

"Unfortunately that's simply not possible–once information has been sufficiently socialised and redistributed (which the Ashley Madison data has certainly been), the exposure is irretrievable," Hunt wrote in a blog post about the leak. "At this point it is better to focus on damage control–consider the impact of your Ashley Madison membership being known by everyone and what actions you might take in order to minimise the impact (i.e., discussing it with a spouse)."

For more digital forms of damage control, users have another option, if they can afford it: online reputation management.