Cambridge, MA-based customer relationship management (CRM) company HubSpot over the weekend confirmed being targeted by hackers after several cryptocurrency services started informing their customers about a cybersecurity incident involving HubSpot.
According to HubSpot, the incident occured on March 18, when a “bad actor” managed to hack into an employee account. After the breach was discovered, the impacted account’s access was terminated and the company also “removed the ability for other employees to take certain actions in customer accounts.”
HubSpot’s investigation is ongoing, but so far it appears that this was a targeted attack aimed at customers in the cryptocurrency industry. The breach is said to affect “fewer than 30 HubSpot portals,” with the hacker attempting to access contact data.
“Some employees have access to HubSpot accounts,” HubSpot explained. “This allows employees such as account managers and support specialists to assist customers. In this case, a bad actor was able to compromise an employee account and make use of this access to export contact data from a small number of HubSpot accounts.”
Pantera Capital, Swan Bitcoin and BlockFi have publicly admitted being hit. BlockFi says it relies on HubSpot for CRM and marketing, using it to store names, email addresses and phone numbers for a majority of clients. However, more sensitive data, such as government-issued IDs, account passwords and social security numbers were not stored on the platform.
Swan Bitcoin stores similar types of data on HubSpot and it has reassured customers that their funds and financial information are safe.
However, the customers of the impacted cryptocurrency companies have been advised to keep an eye out for scam or phishing emails.
The HubSpot incident is reminiscent of the breach suffered last year by mobile stock trading platform Robinhood, where a malicious actor used social engineering to trick an employee into giving them access to customer support systems.
The Robinhood breach resulted in millions of customer records getting compromised, including names and email addresses, and in some cases phone numbers, dates of birth, and more extensive account details.
Related: Over $300 Million in Cryptocurrency Stolen in Wormhole Hack
Related: Web Developer Hub SitePoint Discloses Data Breach
Related: Personal Information Compromised in Goodwill Website Hack
Related: Hackers Steal $150 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency From BitMart