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Coinbase Confronts Data Breach with $20M Bounty for Perpetrators

The crypto giant refused a $20 million ransom demand after insider bribery led to the theft of data affecting fewer than 1% of users.

FILE - The Coinbase logo covers the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square, April 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Coinbase app logo on iPhone
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Overview

  • Hackers bribed overseas support agents to access sensitive customer data, including names, addresses, and government IDs, but no passwords, private keys, or funds were compromised.
  • Coinbase immediately terminated the implicated contractors and is cooperating with U.S. and international law enforcement to pursue the perpetrators.
  • The attackers demanded a $20 million ransom in Bitcoin, which Coinbase rejected, instead offering an equivalent bounty for information leading to arrests and convictions.
  • Fewer than 84,000 active users were affected, with Coinbase estimating remediation and reimbursement costs between $180 million and $400 million.
  • The company has enhanced its security measures, warned affected customers, and committed to reimbursing those impacted by related scams.