Bitcoin [BTC] arbitrage trading platform Atlas Quantum breached, 261000 users’ data leaked

One of Brazil’s cryptocurrency trading platforms, Atlas Quantum, was recently subject to an information breach that revealed the names, phone numbers, account balances and email addresses of its user base. Close to 261,000 customers were affected, leading to concerns about the compromise of personal information.

Atlas Quantum is a platform that automates arbitrage trading to allow users to make profits off-market movements of Bitcoin [BTC]. Following the breach, the exchange made it clear that none of the users’ funds were compromised.

There have been multiple reports of kidnappings occurring due to individuals holding Bitcoin in Brazil. The breach further exacerbates the worries that the customers of the exchange already faced due to trading Bitcoin.

The users’ data was compromised and posted on Pastebin, along with a copy of the data being sent to data breach website Have I Been Pwned. The website then posted the notification of the breach on Twitter, where they stated that 24% of the addresses were already in their database. They said:

“New breach: The Atlas Quantum cryptocurrency investment platform had 261k names, phone numbers, email addresses and account balances exposed. 24% were already in @haveibeenpwned.”

In a post on Facebook, they gave a clear picture of what had occurred, along with stating that some features of the platform have been disabled temporarily. Rodrigo Marques, the Founder, and CEO of the platform, stated [trans.]:

“We are conducting an investigation with our information security advisor to understand the incident in more detail and we will cooperate with the appropriate authorities…this is not a steal of bitcoins in custody or violation of our accounts in the exchange.”

The exchange also said in a statement to the local press that they were not sure if the breach was an inside job or an invasion. They also said that the leaked list does not contain information such as passwords or any information that can be used for login. This is a ray of hope for customers of the platform, as the breach shows that the platform had around 5800 Bitcoin in its possession. At current market prices, this comes up to around $38.9 million, which would have made a hack a high-profile one.

Marques, however, stated that funds were saved due to timely action. He said:

“At the time of the incident, we took immediate steps to protect the database and passwords and private keys remain encrypted. We are monitoring the affected accounts and working to have additional protection against fraud.”