South Korean Crypto Exchange Bithumb Reports Internal System Breach

TLDR

• South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb is investigating a data leak after hackers breached its internal mobile system.
• The exchange found the breach on Tuesday and reported it to two government agencies the same day.
• Bithumb said customer crypto assets cannot be accessed because the work system is separate from its trading system.
• Cyberattacks have hit 16 South Korean financial firms as of Oct. 14, according to the country’s financial regulator.
• Daishin Securities said personal and credit data of 38,490 customers was leaked in a separate attack.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb is investigating a data leak after hackers breached its internal mobile system. Yonhap News Agency reported the news on Wednesday, citing industry sources.

The affected system is an in-house mobile platform. Employees use it to communicate and share information for work.

Bithumb found the breach on Tuesday. The exchange reported it to the Korea Internet & Security Agency and the Personal Information Protection Commission that same day.

What Bithumb Said About the Breach

The exchange is still working to find out how far the attack reached. One key question is whether member data was exposed.

“We are analyzing the exact scope, including the possibility of member information being involved,” Bithumb told Yonhap.

The company said it would release an official announcement on Wednesday morning. It also said customer crypto holdings were not at risk.

“The internal work system is separated from the virtual asset trading system, so customer virtual assets cannot be accessed through this breach,” the exchange said.

Cointelegraph said it contacted Bithumb for further comment.

Cyberattacks Hit South Korean Financial Firms

The Bithumb incident is the latest in a series of cyberattacks on South Korea’s financial sector.

On Wednesday, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin spoke at a meeting at the agency’s headquarters. He said cyberattacks had hit 16 South Korean financial firms as of Oct. 14.

The Korea Times reported that two more companies were recent victims. They are asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments and brokerage Daishin Securities.

Daishin Securities said personal and credit information belonging to 38,490 customers had been leaked.

Mirae Asset Global Investments said it blocked unusual outside access to some of its web systems. The company said it is investigating the incident.

According to Yonhap, Mirae Asset said investor information was not affected by the attack.

Bithumb’s own investigation is ongoing, as the exchange works to confirm whether any member information was taken in the breach.

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