Crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer Fidelity Investments confirmed a data breach compromised the personal information of over 77,000 of its customers.
On Oct. 9, Fidelity filed with Maine’s Attorney General stating that 77,099 of its customers were impacted by a breach — a fraction of its 51.5 million customer base.
An attacker accessed customer names and other personal identifiers between Aug. 17 and 19 by using two customer accounts that they had recently established.
The unauthorized access was terminated on Aug. 19 when Fidelity first spotted the breach.
The $5 trillion asset manager said it received assistance from “external security experts” to resolve the matter.
Fidelity stressed the third party didn’t access any Fidelity accounts.
Excerpt from Fidelity’s “Notice of Data Breach” sample letter sent to 77,000 customers. Source: Maine Attorney General
Fidelity said it’s offering a free credit monitoring and identity restoration service to those impacted for two years “to detect any unusual activity that may affect your personal financial situation.”
Those impacted will need to enroll with credit reporting company TransUnion Interactive.
“[It is also] a good idea to remain vigilant for fraudulent activity or identity theft by regularly reviewing your statements,” Fidelity added.
It’s Fidelity’s fourth data breach over the last 12 months, with three others occurring on March 4, March 18 and July 19.
Fidelity did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fidelity is one of several asset managers to launch spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) ETFs in the US this year.
The Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) has tallied nearly $10 billion in flows since launching on Jan. 11, 2024, while the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) has taken in $445 million in flows since July 23.
ChatGPT creator OpenAI and telecommunications services firm AT&T have also suffered data breaches this year, with more than 100 million customers affected in AT&T’s case.
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