EXMON (OP)
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Freedom to trade, privacy to keep
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February 20, 2023, 06:15:47 AM Last edit: February 20, 2023, 10:25:15 AM by EXMON Merited by o_e_l_e_o (4), davis196 (1) |
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It is possible to purchase someone else's identity on the dark web for just a few dollars, which includes all the necessary information about that individual. The reason for the low price is due to the abundance of offers and available documents.
One might wonder where these criminals acquire so many documents to sell at such a low cost. The answer lies in the leakage of sites and their respective documents. If these platforms did not require their users to provide documents, then there would be nothing to steal.
Therefore, the KYC actually contributes to fraud, albeit indirectly, and does not provide protection against it.
The list of some known data breaches of companies where users underwent KYC in the past: As you can see, these are all large and well-known companies that, according to some, can be trusted.
Uber: In 2016, hackers gained access to the personal information of 57 million Uber riders and drivers, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. KYC information was not compromised in this breach.
Equifax: In 2017, hackers gained access to the personal information of 143 million people, including Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses. The breach also affected KYC data of some customers, including driver's license numbers.
Cathay Pacific: In 2018, hackers gained access to the personal information of 9.4 million customers, including passport and identity card numbers. The breach also affected KYC data of some customers.
Aadhaar: In 2018, an Indian newspaper reported that personal data of more than one billion Indians enrolled in the Aadhaar biometric identity program was compromised, including KYC information such as names, addresses, and bank account details.
MyHeritage: In 2018, MyHeritage, a genealogy and DNA testing service, suffered a data breach that compromised the email addresses and hashed passwords of 92 million users. The breach also included the KYC data of some users, including names, addresses, and phone numbers.
Ticketfly: In 2018, the ticket-selling platform Ticketfly suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of 27 million users, including names, addresses, and phone numbers. The breach also included the KYC data of some users, including driver's license numbers.
Chegg: In 2018, Chegg, an education technology company, suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of 40 million users, including names, email addresses, and shipping addresses. The breach also included the KYC data of some users, including Social Security numbers.
Quest Diagnostics: In 2019, Quest Diagnostics, a clinical laboratory, suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of 11.9 million patients, including names, dates of birth, and medical information. The breach also included the KYC data of some patients, including financial information and Social Security numbers.
Truecaller: In 2019, Truecaller, a popular caller identification and spam blocking app, suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of 47.5 million users, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses. The breach also included the KYC data of some users, including photos of government-issued IDs.
Telegram: In 2020, a database containing personal information of millions of Telegram users, including KYC data such as passport scans and government-issued IDs, was exposed online. It is unclear how the data was obtained.
T-Mobile: In 2021, T-Mobile suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 50 million current, former, and prospective customers, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. The breach also included the KYC data of some customers, including driver's license information.
Cathay United Bank: In 2021, Cathay United Bank, a Taiwanese bank, suffered a data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 1 million customers, including names, addresses, and phone numbers. The breach also included the KYC data of some customers, including government-issued IDs and financial information.
Crypto exchanges
Bitfloor: In 2012, US-based Bitcoin exchange Bitfloor suffered a data breach in which hackers stole approximately 24,000 Bitcoins, worth more than $250,000 at the time. The hackers used the stolen data to create fake identities and take out loans in the names of several Bitfloor customers.
Mt. Gox: In 2014, Mt. Gox, a Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange, declared bankruptcy after reporting that hackers had stolen approximately 850,000 bitcoins (worth about $450 million at the time) and other user data.
Bitstamp: In 2015, European Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp suffered a data breach in which hackers stole the personal information of approximately 18,000 customers. The hackers used the stolen data to create fake identities and commit various forms of fraud, including phishing scams and identity theft.
Bitfinex: In August 2016, Bitfinex, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, reported that hackers had stolen 120,000 bitcoins (worth about $72 million at the time) and other user data, including names, email addresses, and encrypted passwords.
Bithumb: In June 2017, South Korean exchange Bithumb suffered a data breach in which hackers stole customer data, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. The hackers also stole more than $1 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Coincheck: In January 2018, Coincheck, a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, reported a security breach in which hackers stole over $500 million worth of cryptocurrency, as well as customer data, including names, addresses, and dates of birth.
Bitflyer: In November 2018, Japanese exchange Bitflyer suffered a data breach in which hackers stole customer data, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Cryptopia: In January 2019, Cryptopia, a New Zealand-based cryptocurrency exchange, suffered a security breach in which hackers stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars, as well as customer data, including email addresses and encrypted passwords
Binance: In 2019, a hacker stole the KYC information of an unknown number of customers, including photos of passports and government-issued IDs.
BitMEX: In 2020, crypto derivatives platform BitMEX was sued by US regulators for various charges, including failing to take appropriate measures to protect customer personal data. The lawsuit alleged that BitMEX's lax security measures resulted in hackers being able to access and steal the personal data of thousands of users, which was subsequently used for various crimes, such as phishing and identity theft.
KuCoin: In September 2020, KuCoin, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange, reported a security breach in which hackers stole over $200 million worth of cryptocurrency, as well as customer data, including email addresses and private keys.
Celsius Network: In August 2021, crypto lending and borrowing platform Celsius Network suffered a security breach in which hackers stole customer information, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. No funds were stolen in the breach.
FTX: In 2022, FTX announced that a hacker had gained unauthorized access to one of their databases and had stolen customer information, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
Other Ledger: In July 2020, hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger suffered a data breach in which hackers stole customer data, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. The hackers also published a list of over a million email addresses associated with Ledger products.
Upbit: In November 2019, South Korean exchange Upbit suffered a security breach in which hackers stole more than $50 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Zaif: In September 2018, Japanese exchange Zaif suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $60 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
ShapeShift: In April 2016, crypto exchange ShapeShift suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $200,000 worth of various cryptocurrencies.
GateHub: In June 2019, crypto wallet service GateHub suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $10 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Bitrue: In June 2019, crypto exchange Bitrue suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $4 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Livecoin: In December 2020, crypto exchange Livecoin suffered a hack in which hackers took control of the exchange's servers and stole more than $2 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
YoBit: In January 2021, Russian exchange YoBit suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $5 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Liquid: In August 2021, crypto exchange Liquid suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $94 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Poly Network: In August 2021, decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Poly Network suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $600 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Cream Finance: In August 2021, DeFi protocol Cream Finance suffered a hack in which hackers stole more than $29 million worth of various cryptocurrencies.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and there may be other data breaches and leaks that have not been made public or widely reported.
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