Bithumb Probes Data Leak Following Hack of Internal Mobile System

The breach was discovered on Tuesday in Bithumb's proprietary mobile system, which staff members use for in-house communication, and the exchange promptly alerted both the Korea Internet & Security Agency and the Personal Information Protection Commission on the same day, industry sources shared with Yonhap.

Bithumb is now assessing the full extent of the incident, including the possibility that user data may have been compromised.

A spokesperson for Bithumb told Yonhap, "We are examining the precise scope of the breach, including whether client information was affected. An official statement will be issued later today. However, since the internal work system operates separately from the virtual asset trading platform, customer cryptocurrency holdings remain secure and were not accessed through this breach."

Cointelegraph has contacted Bithumb to request additional remarks regarding the situation.

This security incident adds to a recent surge in cyberattacks targeting South Korea's financial industry.

At a meeting held at the Financial Supervisory Authority's headquarters on Wednesday, Governor Lee Chan-jin revealed that, as of October 14, sixteen financial organizations in South Korea have experienced cyberattacks.

Reports from the Korea Times indicate that Mirae Asset Global Investments and Daishin Securities, both asset management firms, have also recently suffered cyberattacks.

Daishin Securities confirmed that personal and credit data for 38,490 customers were compromised. Meanwhile, Mirae Asset Global Investments stated that it successfully blocked unauthorized external access to certain web systems and is currently investigating the incident. The firm added that investor details were not compromised, according to Yonhap.

This investigation highlights ongoing cybersecurity challenges within South Korea's financial sector, emphasizing the importance of protecting sensitive data against increasing cyber threats.