Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance is facing problems again after it emerged its users’ private know your customer data was being shared online in an open Telegram group.
The group which is growing by the hour and is approaching 10,000 members features hundreds of photos of Binance users and their private identity documents, including driving licences and passports from people from all over the world.
At press time there were photographs from people from the UK, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Romania, Uzbekistan and many more openly visible in the group’s photo section.
The news represents a potentially massive data breach that exposes personal information to scammers and fraudsters globally.
Open groupThe open group– FIND YOUR BINANCE KYC –is easily accessible by anyone using Telegram, and contains pictures of users posing for photographs alongside their ID documents and with a note showing the date they registered plus the text ‘Binance’.
The photos feature people’s signatures, date of birth, full name and address, plus identity numbers.
Posing for a photo with your ID is a know your customer (KYC) step Binance makes its new users go through when they sign up for an account with the exchange, and is intended to make sure everyone who registers is genuine.
The move is a common step by online businesses to verify a customer’s identity.
Origin?At this stage the source of the photographs is unknown, but
reports are circulating that the information has been put online by a possible leak at the global crypto exchange, which is based out of Malta.
China’s Odaily said that information from people from dozens of countries was available in the group.
Their
report said: “a large number of users of KYC data were collectively exposed, including China, Japan, Vietnam, Pakistan and other countries in more than a dozen countries.”
A
post on Binance’s blog from the exchange’s security team said the matter was being investigated, and a search was ongoing to find the source of the images.
“Our security team is hard at work pursuing all possible leads in an attempt to identify the source of these images … We will keep all of you updated with any developments throughout our investigation.”
Another blowThe potential leak of user data, if confirmed, would be another huge blow to Binance, that earlier this year was hacked with 7,000 BTC being stolen, valued at around $80 million.
Users investments were protected from Binance’s security fund, but it was the first major hack against the global exchange, and shook users’ confidence in it.
Source of article: https://www.bitcoin-original.com/binance-in-hot-water-after-private-customer-id-data-shared-online/ 
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