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Coinbase Faces $400M Fallout After Insider-Assisted Data Breach

Hackers bribed overseas support agents to steal sensitive customer data, prompting a $20 million ransom demand that Coinbase refused to pay.

A representation of the cryptocurrency is seen in front of Coinbase logo in this illustration taken, March 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE - The Coinbase logo covers the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square, April 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
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Overview

  • The breach targeted less than 1% of Coinbase's customer base, exposing personal data including names, addresses, government IDs, and partial Social Security numbers, but no passwords or private keys were compromised.
  • Hackers bribed rogue overseas support agents to access internal systems and facilitate social engineering scams aimed at stealing user funds.
  • Coinbase declined the $20 million ransom demand and instead established a $20 million reward fund for information leading to the attackers' arrest.
  • The company estimates costs between $180 million and $400 million for remediation, customer reimbursements, and security improvements.
  • The SEC is investigating Coinbase's historical user metrics, adding regulatory pressure as the company prepares to join the S&P 500 index next week.