Bithumb Internal System Hack Leaks Personal Information of 844 Customers

Personal information belonging to 844 customers was leaked after Bithumb, a cryptocurrency exchange, suffered a hack of its internal system.

Bithumb said on October 29 that it had confirmed that the personal information of 6,444 customers was affected by a hack of its internal mobile groupware system on October 27.

Of these, 5,600 customers’ information was stored in encrypted (DRM) files that could not be accessed externally, so their personal information was not exposed. The personal information of the remaining 844 customers was exposed. The leaked information included names, mobile phone numbers, email addresses, resident registration numbers, driver’s license numbers, account numbers, and copies of identity documents. The scope of the information leaked varied by customer. Information belonging to 715 employees was also leaked.

The groupware system involved in the breach is an internal work system that is separate from customers’ exchange accounts and asset holdings. So far, there is no evidence that the exchange’s services or customer database were directly compromised.

The hack occurred between 11:28 a.m. and 12:27 p.m. on October 27. Bithumb first detected abnormal access at 12:14 p.m. that day and immediately took emergency security measures, including blocking the attacker’s access route and completely suspending use of the mobile groupware system. It is currently conducting security checks and applying patches with the service’s developer.

Bithumb said it filed reports with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) at 11:39 on October 27, the day it became aware of the incident, and with the Personal Information Protection Commission at 12:48 a.m. on October 28.

Bithumb has been notifying affected customers individually in stages since the afternoon of October 29. A notice outlining the incident and response measures has also been posted on its website. Customers can check directly on the Bithumb website whether their personal information was leaked.

Bithumb CEO Lee Jaewon said, "We sincerely apologize for causing our customers concern and anxiety. If any affected customers suffer secondary harm, we will do our utmost to provide remedies and compensation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.