As of 8:00am UTC, HotBit, a crypto exchange, came into the spotlight from a paralyzing cyber attack. Over 2,000,000 users are affected by this attack, as HotBit is completely down for maintenance. The HotBit team alerted users that the site will be down for 1-2 weeks for a "comprehensive inspection", but all funds are safe.
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This is not financial advice. I am not a financial advisor.
Please do your own research before making any decisions before investing.
This article is meant for educational purposes only.
According to reports, the hacker attempted to access the exchange's wallets.
The wallet address HotBit provided is 0x274f3c32c90517975e29dfc209a23f315c1e5fc7 - running on the Ethereum platform. This allows users to ensure that their funds are safe and secured.
HotBit explained that the hacker attempted to access exchange wallets, but then began to delete user databases once unable to obtain their crypto. They then went on to mention that any registered phone numbers, asset data, and email addresses may also have been leaked. Be on the lookout to make sure that you were not one of the ones affected! It would probably be a good idea to change your passwords as well!
The need for the comprehensive inspection comes as HotBit stated, "We are still uncertain whether he attacker has polluted data or not before the attack.". HotBit needs to ensure that all data remained accurate in the moments leading up to the cyber attack, during, and currently... now the exchange is completely shut down. 
Now, as mentioned multiple times above, HotBit funds are safe and secured through their cold wallet, according to HotBit themselves. I am not entirely sure what this comprehensive inspection entails in its entirety, but I am sure it's a lot of work ahead of them. HotBit stated that users can expect the platform to be unavailable for at least the next 7 days, up to 14 days. I am sure if they need to do a little digging, they will notify their users immediately. Although this is a bit frightening, this shouldn't be a cause for complete panic.
If you are one of the millions of people affected, make sure your email address is secured, change your passwords, and be on the lookout for spam callers. Those would be my best ideas while we wait for HotBit to become live once more!
Are you one of the individuals affected by this cyber attack?
Let us know in the comments down below!
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