Bitfinex users face ‘minor’ phishing attack after employee hacked

Cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex said it suffered a “minor” data security breach after its customer support agents were hacked earlier this week (October 30 – November 5).

It resulted in phishing attacks on Bitfinex users, but no major damage was done, the company said in a November 4 statement.

“A small portion of our customer support boards containing partial, incomplete, and out-of-date information was accessed by phishing by an individual or group of customer support agents.”

Fortunately, the customer support agent did not have “higher permissions” and had limited access to support tools and desk tickets, the company added.

Bitfinex insists its systems were not breached and no customer funds were lost.

“No server, wallet or database infrastructure has been accessed.” Bitfinex added:

“At no time were customer assets on the platform compromised or password information inaccessible. Most of the affected customer accounts were empty or inactive.”

While Bitfinex says the issue is now “resolved,” they are still reviewing the incident, the compromised data, and reaching out to affected customers.

good morning!

As you sip your morning coffee ☕, take comfort in knowing that Bitfinex prioritizes your safety.

We ensure the safety of your data and money, giving you peace of mind so you can start your day right.

— Bitfinex (@bitfinex) August 2, 2023

The organization has reported the matter to law enforcement and is working with investigative authorities to find the culprit behind the phishing attack.

“We have a strong track record of obtaining successful convictions against individuals who have attempted to attack our company in the past,” Bitfinex said.

The incident occurred despite Bitfinex regularly reviewing its security procedures and requiring all employees to undergo cybersecurity training.

Don't be fooled by phishing scams!

Read more in our official knowledge base article

pic.twitter.com/tgTb1saA9m

— Bitfinex (@bitfinex) April 2, 2022

Related: Crypto Phishing Scams: How Users Can Stay Safe

Bitfinex was founded in 2012 in Hong Kong. Jean-Louis van der Velde has served as the company's CEO since 2013.

Bitfinex is ranked 17th among all crypto exchanges by CoinGecko's “Trust Score” index. Last month saw more than 800,000 visits on the platform.

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