Bithumb, South Korea's crypto exchange, reports hackers accessed internal system leaking personal data

The exchange is currently investigating whether customer data was among the information exposed, although an industry source informed Yonhap that some customer details were leaked.

Bithumb was one of three South Korean financial institutions to report data compromises on Wednesday, local time.

Brokerage Daishin Securities disclosed that the personal information of 38,490 clients, including mobile phone numbers, names, and email addresses, was leaked after detecting unauthorized access last week. That firm stated it would compensate affected customers as required by law.

Asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments also confirmed a hacking incident, prompting financial authorities to commence an inspection of the matter.

These incidents follow a recent spate of hacking attacks targeting 16 South Korean financial firms, including banks, which the Financial Services Commission noted caused approximately 100,000 data leaks this month.

Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao listed these four incidents—Coinbase's vendor Amplitude, Bithumb, Mirae Asset, and Daishin Securities—in a tweet on Wednesday. Zhao advised users that "You can't prevent a leak, but you can protect yourself," suggesting unique email aliases for each exchange and avoiding SMS-based two-factor authentication.

This sequence of events highlights a broader regulatory and operational risk environment, as multiple market participants face scrutiny following widespread data exposure across the financial sector.

Why it matters

This highlights significant regulatory scrutiny on South Korean financial institutions following multiple data breaches. The incidents underscore the heightened risk of personal data exposure across the crypto and traditional finance sectors. Readers should watch for how regulators respond to these widespread security failures.