Robinhood app hit by data breach; Emails of 5 million customers compromised

In a massive case of data breach, Robinhood Markets said that the personal information of about 7 million of its customers was compromised. This accounts for nearly one-third of its customers. In a statement, Robinhood said that the intruder obtained the email addresses of about 5 million people. Also, full names for a separate group of about 2 million were obtained.

"We also believe that for a more limited number of people—approximately 310 in total—additional personal information, including name, date of birth, and zip code, was exposed, with a subset of approximately 10 customers having more extensive account details revealed. We are in the process of making appropriate disclosures to affected people," the trading app said.

However, it believes that no Social Security, bank account or debit card numbers were exposed during the incident, nor that customers had to go through any financial loss.

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A Robinhood spokesperson revealed that the hacker made threats about what would be done with the compromised information and demanded payment. The spokesperson has declined to say whether the firm paid the culprit.

Robinhood Chief Security Officer Caleb Sima said, "As a Safety First company, we owe it to our customers to be transparent and act with integrity."

 “Following a diligent review, putting the entire Robinhood community on notice of this incident now is the right thing to do.” 

The company has said that it has contained the breach, notified law enforcement and enlisted security firm Mandiant to investigate.