BitMEX Has Allowed a Massive Email Leak

November 1, 2019, by Marko Vidrih on ALTCOIN MAGAZINE

The BitMEX crypto-derivative exchange during the mass mailing of emails about upcoming changes in the structure of its indexes this morning in a public format revealed the email addresses of thousands of users.

“We are aware that some of our users have received a general user update email earlier today, which contained the email addresses of other users. Our team have acted immediately to contain the issue and we are taking steps to understand the extent of the impact. Rest assured that we are doing everything we can to identify the root cause of the fault and we will be in touch with any users affected by the issue,” the exchange writes.

The Block analyst Larry Chermak suggests that in total over 30,000 addresses could be in the public domain.

According to the updated information, the problem was caused by a software error. To date, it has been identified and eliminated. In addition to email addresses, no other personal data or account information was distributed.

BitMEX warned users about the dangers of phishing attacks, recalling that it sends its letters only from the addresses “support@bitmex.com” and “noreply@bitmex.com” and will never offer to transfer funds, except through the deposit address specified in the account on the exchange.

Some suggest that in this way the email addresses of the entire BitMEX user base were disclosed — different recipients got different elements.

Binance reported that it was aware of a “large-scale leak of user email addresses from another exchange” and recommended that affected customers immediately change email addresses associated with accounts on its platform.

OKEx Exchange made the same statement, noting that requests from users who wish to change their email addresses will be given priority.

As if it was not enough, apparently, the BitMEX Twitter account was hacked, in which the following messages were posted: “Hacked. Take your BTC and run. The last day of withdrawal. “3 minutes after publication, they were deleted. BitMEX did not comment on what happened.

In a conversation with The Block, BitMEX Deputy Operations Director Vivien Khoo said the email was sent to “ the majority of our users, however, not all were affected.”

There are already 30,000 new emails selling on the darknet. For any user that was involved in BitMEX leak, get ready for constant phishing attempts and emails from competitors.

Author: Marko Vidrih