Gemini data leak

Another day, another data leak. This leak is rather fresh, happening just recently. A lot of times a leak only goes public a year or two after it happens.

Just under 6M email addressses and phone numbers were leaked. The hacker is asking for 30 BTC for a copy of the database.

Apparently the full phone number is not available as the middle three digits are missing. All and all this leak has minimum security impact on users, although that's based on the currently know information. Gemini promises funds are SAFU.

No matter how careful you are, there is always someone else that is more than incompetent enough to leak your data on your behalf. Years ago I started to supply as little accurate information I could when dealing with third parties. While I can't always do that, the more I do the better.

If you haven't heard of privacy.com, it's a good solution allowing you to create virtual credit cards where you can use alternative names to protect your identity. Keep in mind this usually limits your ability to do a charge back and how much consumer protection you have. It isn't something I'd recommend for all purchases.