Bithumb Internal Employee System Hit by Cyberattack

Bithumb, the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, confirmed a breach in its internal communication and mobile work system. The company detected unauthorized access last Tuesday and notified local cybersecurity and data protection authorities.

Representatives for the exchange stated that the compromised system operates separately from the main trading platform. The company declared that customer virtual assets were not accessed during the incident. The extent of the personal data leak remains under internal review.

The attack on Bithumb occurs amid a period of vulnerability for the South Korean financial sector. The Financial Supervisory Service reported that other institutions, such as Daishin Securities and Mirae Asset Global Investments, have also been targets of suspicious activity recently.

Official data reveals that at least 16 financial firms in the country suffered cyberattacks by mid-October. The governor of the regulatory body, Lee Chan-jin, confirmed that investment companies have faced widespread security incidents in recent days.

This episode marks the second control failure at Bithumb this year. In February, the exchange committed an operational error by crediting incorrect amounts to user accounts, which raised questions regarding the robustness of its internal systems.