South Korean exchange Coinone disclosed a customer data breach at MetaM, its outsourced support provider. Passwords, identification numbers and wallet addresses are among the information potentially exposed. Coinone says it found no evidence of a direct intrusion into its trading, account or wallet systems.
Coinone said an external attacker gained unauthorized access to servers run by MetaM at approximately 4 a.m. local time on November 12. MetaM handles the exchange's customer consultations. Coinone learned of the intrusion at around 9:20 a.m. that day, after the contractor reported it.
The breach involved information customers had provided during telephone or online consultations. Customers who never contacted the support center were not affected, and the number of people whose data was exposed remains undisclosed.
Passwords, ID numbers and wallet addresses on the list
The potentially compromised information includes names, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and bank account numbers. Passwords, South Korean resident registration numbers, residential addresses, cryptocurrency wallet addresses and transaction IDs were also listed.
However, the actual exposure could vary with what each customer shared in earlier consultations. Coinone has not established that every listed category was accessed for every affected person.
In a separate November 14 disclosure, MetaM said telephone numbers and consultation conversations had been accessed without authorization or removed from affected systems. MetaM reported the incident to the Korea Internet & Security Agency on November 13.
Coinone says trading and wallet systems were not compromised
The exchange said it had found no evidence of a direct intrusion into its account, trading or cryptocurrency wallet systems as of its November 15 disclosure. It also said account access requires two-factor authentication through a registered OTP or KakaoTalk verification, and that the information identified so far would not, by itself, allow attackers to access accounts or withdraw cryptocurrency.
Coinone moved outsourced customer support to email consultations and strengthened monitoring for suspicious logins and transactions. It reported the incident to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service.
Customers warned about phishing and identity theft
Coinone warned that attackers could use the data to impersonate exchange employees, with risks including fraudulent calls, phishing emails, spam messages and identity theft. Customers who disclosed their passwords during support conversations should change their Coinone credentials immediately.
The exchange stressed that its employees would never request passwords, OTP numbers or verification codes by phone, email or text message. Its notice also says affected customers may pursue damages under South Korean law, including statutory claims of up to 3 million won when proving actual losses is difficult.
Source: crypto.news
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