Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a social media post Thursday that a ransom note arrived via email asking for $20 million in Bitcoin in exchange for not releasing information hackers had obtained on Coinbase’s customers.
“I’m going to respond publicly,” Armstrong said. “We are not going to pay ransom.”
https://t.co/evpIBMFvRW pic.twitter.com/f6UPdkL5R0
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) May 15, 2025
Armstrong said attackers had found a “weak link” customer service agent outside the U.S. who accepted a “bribe” and gave away personal data on customers.
In a company blog post, Coinbase said it will reimburse customers tricked into sending funds to the attacker. Hackers received access to names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails; masked Social