Fun

BitMEX Exchange Exposes User Base in Email Mishap

News Feed - 2019-11-01 09:11:04

If you have an account with crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX, there’s never been a better time to update your security preferences.


On Friday at 08:00 UTC, BitMEX alerted its clientele via blog and Twitter that it had accidentally revealed many of its user’s email addresses in the CC: field.


The unfortunate email also opens users up to targeted phishing attacks, as  anyone obtaining the email has a portion of what’s needed to access the account login.


BitMEX has now asked customers to add BitMEX’s support email to their contact lists to decrease phishing emails along with adding 2-factor authentication (2FA). The exchange appeared to suggest a bug caused the incident, saying on the company blog: “The error which has caused this has been identified and fixed.”


“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,” they said on the blog. “Our team have acted immediately to contain the issue and we are taking steps to understand the extent of the impact.”


In a statement to CoinDesk, BitMEX Deputy COO Vivien Khoo said: Earlier today, the majority of our users received an email containing the email addresses of other users in the ‘to’ field. This was a general email update about upcoming changes to the weighting of our indices.


We are deeply sorry for the concern this has caused to our users. The issue was caused by an error in the software used to send emails. As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we immediately prevented further emails from being sent and have since addressed the issue to ensure this does not happen again.


BitMEX takes the privacy and security of our users very seriously. We are working around the clock to establish communication with all our users to provide any assistance and to ensure the continued safety of their account.


Beyond email addresses, at no point during this issue has any personal data or account information been disclosed.


According to data tweeted by data analytics firm Skew, BitMEX has around 22,000 users daily.


The mishap adds to the woes of the exchange, which is also reportedly being probed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Exchange Commission (CFTC) over whether it has allowed U.S. traders to use its platform. BitMEX geo-blocks multiple countries from participating on its exchange, including the United States, although some users may have jumped the fence by using virtual private networks (VPNs).


One of the largest crypto derivatives markets, known for its leverage rates of up to 100x, BitMEX operates out of Seychelles. Its largest product, the XBT/USD trade pair, had a 24-hour trade volume of $2.8 billion as of press time according to CoinGecko.


BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes image via CoinDesk archives


———


UPDATE (1, November 18:00 UTC): This story was updated to include a statement to CoinDesk from BitMEX Deputy COO Vivien Khoo.

News Feed

NXTT’s New Roadmap Looks Set to Strike Through the Bear Market
NXTT"s New Roadmap Looks Set to Strike Through the Bear Market sponsored Next Earth, the virtual replica of Earth and now the third-largest metaverse, has remained resilient amidst
1.2 Million Italians Can Now Buy Bitcoin From Their Bank
1.2 Million Italians Can Now Buy Bitcoin From Their Bank Buying bitcoin just got easier for Italians. The country’s mobile bank Hype has announced a partnership with fintec
Bitcoin Price Regains Strength Above $41K, Crypto Market Cap Jumps 6% in 24 Hours
Bitcoin Price Regains Strength Above $41K, Crypto Market Cap Jumps 6% in 24 Hours Crypto assets have climbed in value during the last 24 hours as the price of bi
Jesse Coghlan8 hours agoSEC seeks to question Terraform Labs co-founder Daniel Shin in KoreaThe Securities and Exchange Commission wants to question Daniel Shin on Do Kwon and Chai Corporation’s relationship with Terra
BTC price demands $63K flip as BlackRock CEO calls Bitcoin ‘legitimate’
William Suberg7 hours agoBTC price demands $63K flip as BlackRock CEO calls Bitcoin ‘legitimate’BTC price holds its weekend gains as Larry Fink confirms that he is no longer a Bitcoin “skeptic.”4704 Total views12
Dex Aggregator 1inch Partners With NFT Animated Series ‘Take My Muffin’
Dex Aggregator 1inch Partners With NFT Animated Series "Take My Muffin" On September 3, the decentralized exchange (dex) aggregation platform 1inch announced the project has partne
$8 XRP Sounds Huge—But This Analyst Isn’t Cheering Yet
Reason to trust Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed The highest standards in reporting and pu
BTC-e founder pleads guilty in $9B money laundering conspiracy
Amaka Nwaokocha14 hours agoBTC-e founder pleads guilty in $9B money laundering conspiracyThe platform was utilized to launder funds acquired from various criminal activities, including computer hacking, ransomware attack
Marcel Pechman10 hours agoBitcoin options tantalizing bears to push BTC price below $30K before Friday’s expiryBitcoin bears are closing in on a rare win, as they have the advantage in this week’s $600 million BTC op
Biggest Movers: Monero, Cosmos Slip on Thursday, as Crypto Economy’s Red Wave Returns
Biggest Movers: Monero, Cosmos Slip on Thursday, as Crypto Economy"s Red Wave Returns With cryptocurrency markets falling on Thursday, XMR and ATOM were two of the biggest movers d
Helen Partz13 hours agoHSBC taps Ripple’s Metaco to launch security token custodyHSBC has partnered with Ripple-owned tech firm Metaco to allow institutional investors to hold tokenized securities on its new custody pl
SOL/ETH ratio hits new all-time high amid market turmoil
Tom Mitchelhill7 hours agoSOL/ETH ratio hits new all-time high amid market turmoilThe metric that tracks the value of one Solana token to one Ether token has reached a new all-time high following a brutal marketwide sell