The crypto investor data leak is back in the spotlight: hardware wallet owners are facing new risks, while the cryptocurrency market continues to move within narrow ranges amid weak demand and expectations for regulation in the U.S.
Cryptocurrency Market: Bitcoin Holds at $63,500, Ethereum Stays Above $1,900
On the morning of August 17, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $63,500. Since the beginning of July, its price has barely left the $62,000–65,000 range. Ethereum (ETH) also remains in a sideways trend: the price stays above $1,900, and for the second week, the fluctuation range is about $1,830–1,950.
For the week ending August 16, both of the largest cryptocurrencies declined: BTC lost about 3%, and Ethereum about 2%. Market calculations are still made in U.S. dollars, so the dynamics of the pair against the U.S. dollar remain the main benchmark for investors.
In the catalogs of major aggregators listing online digital currency exchange services, offers to sell USDT of the TRC20 standard for cash rubles or via SBP transfer started at 88.1 rubles per 1 USDT.
The crypto market capitalization held at about $2.17 trillion. The Fear and Greed Index was 31 out of 100, meaning the market remains in the “Fear” zone. Over the week, the indicator gained only 1 point, indicating continued caution and investors’ readiness to lock in positions.
Who Rose and Who Fell the Most
Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap, the best result of the day was shown by . The ETHFI token, associated with the Ethereum-based liquid staking protocol, rose by about 10%.
The most notable drop in the same period was Quant (QNT). The project develops infrastructure for blockchain interaction with traditional financial payments, but its token lost about 13%.
BTC-based exchange-traded funds ended the trading week to August 14 with an outflow of nearly $390 million. ETH funds saw a much milder outflow, not even reaching $3 million.
Personal Data of Wallet Owners Under Attack Again
In recent days, reports of threats to hardware crypto wallet users have become more frequent. In two separate incidents, the personal data of 54,000 people may have been compromised.
Trezor reported a breach affecting about 14,000 users. The problem arose through the delivery service provider ShipMonk. SafePal faced a similar situation: the company reported a data leak of nearly 40,000 clients, including names, addresses, and order information.
To briefly compare the two incidents: Trezor involved about 14,000 users and an issue on ShipMonk’s side, while SafePal involved nearly 40,000 clients whose names, addresses, and order details may have been exposed to outsiders.
Such stories are not limited to hardware wallets. Crypto exchanges, DeFi projects, delivery, and customer support services are also at risk: sometimes contact data is leaked, sometimes order or financial information. The consequences usually hit users directly: phishing increases, scammers choose victims more accurately, and investors become more cautious.
Chainalysis, as early as August, called such leaks one of the main reasons for the rise in physical attacks on crypto investors in 2026. For the market, this is an important signal: cryptocurrency carries risks not only due to volatility but also because of threats related to storing and protecting personal information.
What Is Considered a Data Leak
A data leak is a situation where personal or financial information ends up with those who should not have access to it. This can include names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, payment details, order information, and other data by which a person can be found or attacked.
A security breach is a broader concept. It can be a hack, a configuration error, a software vulnerability, or a contractor’s failure. The main difference is simple: a security breach describes the incident itself, while a data leak is its result, when information has already been exposed.
Not only private users suffer. For companies, leaks result in loss of trust and additional security expenses, while for investors, they mean the risk of fraud, pressure, and loss of privacy.
Why Leaks Happen and Why They Are Dangerous
Most often, data leaks occur due to phishing, account hacks, employee errors, software vulnerabilities, and problems with third-party contractors. In the crypto industry, services that store order, delivery, customer support, or financial transaction data are especially sensitive.
For an ordinary user, such a leak can result in spam, phishing emails, attempts to extort money, or steal account access. For a crypto investor, the risk is higher: if an attacker knows a person owns digital assets, they can use personal data for a more targeted attack, blackmail, or physical pressure.
Artificial intelligence adds a new level of risk. With its help, scammers can more quickly analyze large amounts of data, build a victim’s profile, and generate convincing phishing emails that are harder to distinguish from real service messages.
At the industry level, such incidents increase investor caution, undermine trust in wallets, exchanges, and DeFi projects, and can also increase market pressure during periods when participants are already ready to lock in positions.
What to Do After a Data Leak
If there is a risk that data has fallen into the wrong hands, first change passwords in the affected service and in all accounts where similar combinations were used. Then enable two-factor authentication, check activity in email, payment services, and crypto accounts, and carefully monitor suspicious emails and calls.
It is helpful to notify the service of the problem, save messages about the incident, and monitor login attempts, debits, and new applications in your name for a while. If scammers have already contacted the user, it is best not to follow links, open attachments, or provide verification codes.
Prevention is helped by strong unique passwords, password managers, two-factor authentication, regular software updates, antivirus, VPNs on public networks, and leak monitoring services. The less the same password or email is repeated in different services, the harder it is to turn one leak into a chain of new attacks.
The U.S. Discusses Cryptocurrency Market Regulation
Regulatory uncertainty in the United States of America remains one of the key topics for the industry. Bloomberg reported that Donald Trump is expected to attend a meeting at the White House on August 19 with leaders of crypto companies and prediction market platforms.
Leaders of the main U.S. market regulators are also expected to join the discussion: Michael Selig of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Paul Atkins of the Securities and Exchange Commission. For the industry, it is important to know when a digital asset can be considered a security and what rules will apply to such instruments.
Despite the active agenda, Galaxy experts estimate the chances of the CLARITY Act passing this year at only 10%. Not only specialized market participants are following the topic, but also large companies like Coinbase, as well as business media including Bloomberg and Reuters. RBC-Crypto is also keeping an eye on changes that could affect the entire sector.
Ethereum Prepares for Major Update
Within the crypto community, one of the most discussed topics remains the upcoming Ethereum update called Hegota. It is expected in early 2027. It is assumed that this and subsequent updates will set the direction for the development of the network of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap for the coming years.
The context for Ethereum is not easy. Network developers have not been able to formulate a clear course for further development for over a year, and critics are increasingly pointing to fundamental blockchain weaknesses. Against this backdrop, weak price dynamics in recent years only increase pressure on the project.
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