UPDATED 11.04.2019: It was human error, just as we said it was highly likely to have been. End update.
These guys -- and make no mistake -- this is undoubtedly, overwhelmingly. . . a bunch of young privileged MBA toting white guys, almost exclusively under age 40. . . continue to prove, on the regular, that they are not even remotely ready -- for "prime time" finance.
This morning, CoinDesk is reporting that BitMEX sent out an all user email -- one which included the list of all the other recipients' private email addresses. At least 22,000 of them.
So they all can get to know each other, presumably(?!). . . OMG.
Add to this, that these people are using up to 100 times leverage to trade, and that it is all run out of the Seychelles. . . and we have the "Perfectly Nigerian Prince" style-spam reply -- loaded up and ready to solicit them [see below the pull-quote]. Here's the bit, from CoinDesk:
. . . .According to data tweeted by data analytics firm Skew, BitMEX has around 22,000 users daily.
“We are aware that some of our users have received a general user update email earlier today, which contained the email addresses of other users,” the blog states. “Our team have acted immediately to contain the issue and we are taking steps to understand the extent of the impact.”
BitMEX has now asked customers to add BitMEX’s support email to their contact lists to decrease phishing emails along with adding 2-factor authentication (2FA). The exchange appeared to suggest a bug caused the incident, saying: “The error which has caused this has been identified and fixed.” [Ed. Note: the "bug" was a human / interventional error, almost certainly.]
The mishap adds to the woes of the exchange, which is also reportedly being probed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Exchange Commission (CFTC) over whether it has allowed U.S. traders to use its platform. BitMEX geo-blocks multiple countries from participating on its exchange, including the United States. Some users may jump the fence by using virtual private networks (VPNs), however. . .
Here is the Prince: "Hello my 22,000 dear friends. We have all made [and lost] a lot trading Bitcoin, on borrowed money. I can give you each 110,000 Bitcoin, tomorrow, if you will send me your 5,000 Bitcoin account details, today. I need to release my one million Bitcoin from the military [my estranged father's] account holding it, but need to post collateral to do so. I will share with you..."
Onward. You've been warned -- no matter who is CEO of this exchange. . . it is not ready for real robust security. Too many simple human factor errors plague all these entities, not just BitMEX -- ones a complete and utter lack of financial security training exposes -- on the daily. Clear, cold and beautifully lustrously white, here this morning. . . . onward, indeed.
नमस्ते
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