Kevin Durant, the celebrated NBA star and investor in Coinbase Global, has regained access to his Coinbase account after being locked out for an extended period. This past week we have seen one of the largest and most publicized cybersecurity breaches. Hackers bribed Coinbase’s foreign-based customer support representatives to expose the private data of affected customers. Coinbase first disclosed this harrowing episode in May, when the attackers initially demanded $20 million in ransom.
In 2016, Durant bought some Bitcoins on Coinbase when the prices were between $360 and $1,000. But once his account was locked out, getting back into his account became nearly impossible. His agent, Rich Kleiman, expressed frustration with the platform’s account retrieval protocol, stating, “It’s just a process we haven’t been able to figure out.”
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong later verified that Durant’s account recovery operation was successful.… He took ownership of users’ grievances with the platform’s customer support, vowing to do better in the future.
“We’re putting a big focus on getting better at customer support at both ends – improving products so fewer people need support, and providing a faster, higher quality experience when you do,” – Brian Armstrong
Coinbase runs a 24/7 assistance hotline and offers self-help guides and resources for consumers to troubleshoot issues themselves. Clients have recently been complaining about the company’s new live phone support hotline, which was rolled out in 2021. This latest incident involving Durant has sharpened the spotlight on Coinbase’s support system.
Durant and Kleiman have been huge advocates of Coinbase, featuring it prominently on their sports and entertainment media site, Boardroom. This action deepens their ties to the crypto enabling platform. It was the announcement of the breach and ransom demand that caused Durant’s alarms to blare. It also resulted in a massive and alarming user breach, leaving users concerned about their data security and account integrity.
Coinbase is committed to improving customer support. They understand the growing need for consistent quality of service in a highly competitive cryptocurrency environment. The company is making serious attempts to recover its users’ confidence. It should not allow offenses as severe as these to shake users’ trust in the service.