LeapRate Exclusive… LeapRate has learned that FCA-regulated MT4 broker ActivTrades has been the latest Forex Industry victim of a hack attack. We had earlier reported that FXCM Inc (NYSE:FXCM) suffered a hit by hackers which saw client information compromised and even some wire transfers initiated (note that this did not occur in the ActivTrades hack, more on that below), although FXCM did point out that all funds were returned to the appropriate client accounts.
We also exclusively broke the story of the recent DDoS attack on MT4 bridge and hosting services provider oneZero. That attack originated by hackers in China. Reports on certain blogs several days after LeapRate had broken and updated that story – that the oneZero attack was ordered by competitors of one of oneZero’s clients – were, in our view, incorrect.
Back to ActivTrades…
LeapRate has learned that ActivTrades clients received emails (see full text below) from the company informing them that ActivTrades was the victim of a cyber attack in which some client details may have been obtained by the attacker including names, email addresses and trading account numbers. However in speaking with the company LeapRate has learned that no client passwords were compromised, nor any client-specific financial information.
The attack was identified by ActivTrades toward the end of last week, and has now been ‘dealt with’.
In quick response to the hack attack, ActivTrades also announced to clients that in order to mitigate the ‘inconvenience’ of the attack, the company is offering a special promotion to all its customers. Until the end of this year ActivTrades is offering a 0.1 pips spread tightening on all its FX pairs, already applying the promotion to prices now on its platform.
ActivTrades was founded in 2001 by CEO Alex Pusco, who continues to run the company. Originally based in Switzerland, ActivTrades moved to London in 2005 and has continued to focus on the UK Forex, CFD and spreadbetting market since then, although the company also has a very strong presence in the online trading market in both Italy and Germany. In 2014 ActiveTrades PLC had Revenues of £21.1 million, and net profit of £4.6 million.
The email sent by ActivTrades to its clients today follows.
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Dear Trader,
We are sorry to announce that our company was among the financial institutions that experienced a cyber-attack. We identified this threat towards the end of last week and the situation was quickly brought under control.
What happened?
During this attack some of our clients’ details may have been obtained by the attacker. No passwords were compromised as these are 100% secure and at this stage we are confident that no financial details were accessed.
What have we done since we identified that we’d been attacked?
We immediately took increased measures to successfully defend the cyber-attacks. We are cooperating with the relevant authorities in order to provide the information necessary for their investigation.
How have our customers been affected?
The investigation is still ongoing, but there is a chance that data such as names, email addresses or trading account numbers might have been compromised in some cases.
What can you do?
You can continue to trade but keep a close eye on the emails you receive in the near future. If you notice anything unusual, please contact us as soon as possible.
To avoid the risk of phishing, when responding to emails or phone calls, never give your login or personal details. If you receive an email from a company that claims to be legitimate but is requesting these details, or a contact number, tell them you will call them back and take all steps to check the true identity and contact details of the organisation.
More information on phishing can be found at here or here.
All our account representatives are dedicated to responding to your concerns and answering your questions via chat, email or phone. [Contact Us]
What we have done for you?
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and will do everything in our powers to help you.
In order to acknowledge all the inconvenience caused we would like to offer a special promotion to all our customers; until the end of this year we are offering a 0.1 pips spread tightening on all our FX pairs.
To prove our commitment to you, this promotion has already been applied to your account and is reflected in the prices you see in the platform.
Best Regards,
English Desk Team
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