A new twist has emerged in the Coinbase data breach saga. An amended lawsuit filed this week accuses U.S.-based outsourcing firm TaskUs of concealing critical information about the incident and downplaying just how deeply its employees were involved.
Employee at the Center of the Breach
According to the filing by law firm Greenbaum Olbrantz, TaskUs employee Ashita Mishra played a central role in the scheme that exposed data belonging to more than 69,000 Coinbase customers.
Court documents claim Mishra, along with unnamed accomplices, stole confidential customer data between September and January and sold it to hackers. These hackers then allegedly posed as Coinbase employees to trick victims and steal cryptocurrency.
Coinbase had originally disclosed the breach in May, saying it reimbursed users, notified regulators, cut ties with TaskUs, and strengthened its internal security controls.
How the Scheme Worked
The lawsuit describes a “hub-and-spoke conspiracy” where Mishra organized disconnected groups of TaskUs employees, each unaware of the others’ involvement. This structure allegedly allowed the data exfiltration to continue even if one group was discovered.
Bad actors reportedly paid Mishra and her circle $200 for every photo containing Coinbase customer data. At times, she allegedly took up to 200 photos per day. By the time TaskUs became aware of the breach, investigators say her phone held details of more than 10,000 customers.
Allegations of a Cover-Up
The amended complaint also levels serious charges against TaskUs itself. It alleges the company tried to silence insiders and conceal the true extent of the breach.
- Nearly 300 employees were fired from TaskUs’ Indore, India office, which the filing claims was because the conspiracy had spread so widely that it was impossible to identify all those involved.
- The company allegedly disbanded its HR team and fired staff members who had been investigating the incident.
- In February, TaskUs filed a Form 10-K with regulators that reportedly failed to mention the Coinbase breach stating it was “not aware of any material data breaches.”
The suit calls these moves part of a “pattern of concealment.”
Bigger Security Concerns
While no direct funds were stolen from Coinbase accounts, the leak of highly sensitive customer information raises major risks of identity theft and phishing attacks.
Hackers identifying themselves as “the Comm” are suspected of orchestrating the broader scheme, though Mishra and her alleged network are now in the spotlight.
As the lawsuit unfolds, TaskUs faces growing scrutiny not just for the breach itself, but for how it reportedly handled the aftermath.
