Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the market, revealed that the exchange was the target of a system breach in which customer data and legal documents were stolen.

The attack involved cybercriminals paying and recruiting support agents or employees working in support roles outside the United States to illegally obtain user data, as their job roles granted them access to such information..

After seizing the data, the attackers attempted to extort Coinbase, demanding $20 million in exchange for not publishing the details of the breach. However, Coinbase did not pay the ransom. The attackers managed to steal customers' names, phone numbers, email addresses, and government-issued documents such as national IDs, passports, and driver's licenses.

The company is expected to incur compensation costs for affected users ranging from $180 million to $400 million.

SOURCE:

[1] https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-customers-personal-information-stolen-in-data-breach/
[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-hackers-bribed-staff-to-steal-customer-data-and-are-demanding-20-million-ransom.html
[3] https://www.coinbase.com/blog/protecting-our-customers-standing-up-to-extortionists