Bitfinex’s chief technology officer, Paolo Ardoino, has dismissed claims made by hacking group Fsociety that it hacked Bitfinex’s database and leaked customer emails and passwords. Ardoino stated that the claims “seem fake” and that if the hackers had real information, they would have contacted Bitfinex through official channels. He also clarified that out of the leaked records, only 5,000 matched with Bitfinex users, suggesting that the hackers may have obtained the data from other crypto data breaches. Ardoino assured users that no breach has been detected so far and that all funds are safe.
This is not the first time Bitfinex has faced concerns over data breaches. In 2016, the exchange suffered a security breach that resulted in the loss of 119,576 customers’ Bitcoin, worth around $70 million at the time. However, Bitfinex stated that little harm occurred as a result. In November 2023, a minor information security incident was reported at Bitfinex when one of its customer support agents was hacked, leading to phishing attacks targeting Bitfinex users.
Bitfinex will continue to investigate the situation, but Ardoino remains confident that no breach has occurred. In the meantime, he advised users to be cautious and emphasized the importance of using unique passwords for different sites.