Brinztech Alert: The Alleged Database of Almaex is Leaked

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a significant data breach involving Almaex, a platform for buying and selling digital currency. A threat actor on a hacker forum has leaked a database allegedly belonging to the exchange.

The compromised dataset purportedly contains over 50,000 user records. The exposed Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is extensive, including Full Names, Email Addresses, Mobile Phone Numbers, and notably, National Identification Codes. The breach is claimed to have occurred in January 2026.

Note: The date “January 2026” appears in the threat actor’s claim. While this aligns with the current timeframe, such specific dating in leak posts often indicates a “fresh” extraction, maximizing the value of the data for immediate attacks.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

Breaches of cryptocurrency exchanges are “high-stakes” events because the leaked data often leads directly to financial theft:

• SIM Swapping Risk: The exposure of Mobile Phone Numbers alongside National IDs and Full Names is the perfect recipe for SIM Swapping. Attackers use the ID details to trick mobile carriers into porting the victim’s number to a new SIM card. Once they control the phone number, they can intercept SMS 2FA codes to bypass security on the victim’s crypto wallets or bank accounts.
• Wallet Draining: If users reused their email/password combinations from other sites, attackers will use “Credential Stuffing” to access their Almaex accounts. Once inside, they can drain any stored digital assets (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) to irreversible external wallets.
• KYC Fraud: The leak of National Identification Codes compromises the “Know Your Customer” (KYC) trust chain. Attackers can use these IDs to register fraudulent accounts on other exchanges, using the victim’s identity to launder money or evade sanctions.
• Targeted Crypto Phishing: Victims should expect highly sophisticated phishing emails. Attackers might send alerts posing as Almaex Security: “Suspicious withdrawal attempt detected. Click here to freeze your wallet.” Because the email addresses the victim by name and references their exchange usage, the success rate of these scams is dangerously high.

Mitigation Strategies

To protect digital assets and identity, the following strategies are recommended:

• Switch to App-Based 2FA: Users should immediately disable SMS-based Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on their crypto accounts and switch to an authenticator app (e.g., Google Authenticator, Authy) or a hardware key (YubiKey) to neutralize the threat of SIM swapping.
• Credential Rotation: Immediate Password Reset is mandatory for Almaex accounts. Users must ensure this password is unique and high-entropy (16+ characters).
• Identity Lock: If possible, users should contact their national registry or credit bureau to place a fraud alert or freeze on their credit file, given the exposure of their National ID.
• Wallet Transfer: As a precaution, users holding significant funds on the exchange should consider moving them to a non-custodial Cold Wallet (hardware wallet) where they control the private keys, removing the risk of exchange-side compromise.

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Questions or Feedback?

For expert advice, use our ‘Ask an Analyst’ feature. Brinztech does not warrant the validity of external claims. For general inquiries or to report this post, please email us: contact@brinztech.com