'We are currently being extorted' crypto giant Kraken says it is facing extortion attack, here's what we know

Date:
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:35:00 +0000

Description:
The identity of the attackers isn't known, but this seems to have been an inside job.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Kraken faces extortion after insiders leaked support system videos Around 2,000 client accounts potentially viewed, no breach of funds Company refuses to pay, investigation underway to identify culprits One of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges - Kraken - is facing an extortion demand, after malicious insiders recorded a video of its client support systems.

Krakens Chief Security Officer, Nick Percoco, shared an announcement on X , describing the incident and saying what the companys plans are. We are currently being extorted by a criminal group threatening to release videos of our internal systems with client data shown if we do not comply with their demands, he begins. Its important to start with the most important points:
our systems were never breached; funds were never at risk; we will not pay these criminals; we will not ever negotiate with bad actors. Article
continues below You may like Coinbase reveals insider breach did take place, customer info compromised 'This is not an April Fool's joke': Crypto platform Drift suspends services after millions stolen 'We are continuing to monitor the situation closely': Crunchyroll investigating breach which reportedly stole data on 6.8 million users Identifying the attackers As Percoco explained, in February 2025, the company was made aware of a video
circulating on the dark web, showing access to Krakens client support system. The video was traced back to a malicious insider - a member of the companys support team. Kraken revoked their access and placed additional security controls.

However, soon after the first one - a new video emerged showing similar activity. Again, a malicious insider was blamed.

Across both incidents, only a very small number of client accounts were potentially viewed - approximately 2,000 in total (0.02% of clients). Percoco stressed.

Soon after the crooks lost access, Kraken received extortion demands. The attackers threatened to distribute the materials from these two incidents to both traditional media, and social media, unless a payment is made. Percoco did not say if the actors belong to a known criminal group, and did not say how much money they were asking for. Kraken isnt paying anyhow. Are you a
pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

A criminal investigation is underway, the company added, saying that there is enough evidence to identify and arrest the responsible individuals.

These days, malicious insiders are as big of a risk as external threats. Cryptocurrency exchanges are often targeted, and even the biggest names arent immune. Coinbase, Kraken, Binance - these are just some of the names that
have had to tackle a malicious insider.

North Korean state-sponsored threat actors Lazarus are known to target crypto exchanges through fake employees, in a campaign called Operation DreamJob. However, Lazarus rarely goes for extortion, and would rather just steal the coins themselves. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/we-are-currently-being-extorted-crypto- giant-kraken-says-it-is-facing-extortion-attack-heres-what-we-know


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