- Major blockchain platforms use Transak, a Miami-based fiat-to-crypto payment gateway, which said on Sunday that 1.14% of its users were impacted by a data breach.
- The Transak attack is allegedly the work of the Stormous ransomware gang, which also claims responsibility for the breach of the web3 identity service Fractal ID.
Metamask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase, Ledger, and other blockchain platforms use Transak, a Miami-based fiat-to-crypto payment gateway, which revealed on Monday that 1.14% of its users were impacted by a data breach.
We recently discovered that a sophisticated phishing attempt was used by an attacker to obtain unauthorized access to one of our employees’ laptops. The attacker gained access to the system of a third-party KYC vendor that we hire for document scanning and verification services by using the compromised credentials.
Names and other personally identifiable information (PII) were among the sensitive personal data that the attacker allegedly obtained. Transak, a non-custodial on-ramp operator, can attest that no assets or sensitive financial information, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, was stolen.
Transak says it has over 5 million customers, that 92,554 users were impacted. In an email, CEO Sami Start stated, “We are contacting each of these users to offer clarification.” They collaborate with law enforcement as well. Relevant data protection authorities have been notified, including the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and other US and EU regulators. Analysis for other nations is currently underway.
Some of the stolen documents have been posted on the website of the infamous Stormous ransomware gang, who have claimed responsibility for the incident. Additionally, the ring recently revealed that it was responsible for the July compromise of Fractal ID, a decentralized identification system that offers identity verification and provisioning for Web3 projects.
300 gigabytes of data, including private documents like IDs, addresses, bank records, and photos taken during the know-your-customer onboarding process, are allegedly stolen from Transak by Stormous.
As of right now, there are no signs of data misuse. Affected users are advised to exercise caution and keep an eye out for any unusual activity, though. We will provide guidance and tools, such as identity monitoring services, to impacted individuals so they may safeguard themselves against possible information misuse.
Stormous took credit for yet another apparent Fractal ID exploit last week, claiming to have acquired 12 terabytes of the company’s data, including addresses, bank statements, ETH/BTC addresses, and personal images.
“We were contacted last week by some party recycling the material from August as evidence of a breach, suggesting the stolen data is not new,” Leitloff remarked in response to onchain detective ZachXBT, who was the first to uncover the connection between the Fractal and Transak attacks.
Despite this, we have searched our systems for signs of a problem and found nothing.
To investigate the data breaches, both companies have engaged outside investigators.
Disclaimer : This article was created for informational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. An asset’s past performance does not predict its future returns. Before making an investment, please conduct your own research, as digital assets like cryptocurrencies are highly risky and volatile financial instruments.
