Prediction markets platform Polymarket has denied recent reports that its customer data was breached after a hacker on the dark web posted what the person claimed was a trove of private user details.Cybersecurity company Vecert Analyzer and several other X accounts that track dark web activity shared screenshots from DarkForums on Tuesday showing a hacker using the pseudonym “xorcat” claiming to have breached Polymarket.In the post, xorcat said they had stolen over 300,000 records, including 10,000 unique user profiles with full names, profile images, proxy wallets and base addresses. Polymarket called the claims of a data breach “complete and utter nonsense” and said the information the hacker posted is already available online.The crypto industry saw a sudden surge in crypto-related hacks and exploits in April, putting many in the space on high alert. Blockchain security company Hacken reported earlier this month that Web3 projects lost $482 million to hacks and scams in the first quarter of 2026 across 44 incidents.“You compromised our platform by accessing publicly accessible API endpoints & on-chain data and *checks notes* are trying to sell the data we offer developers for free? Which VC paid you to post this?” Polymarket said.In another post, the prediction market said: “Part of the beauty of being on chain is all our data is publicly auditable, this is a feature, not a bug. No data was leaked, it’s accessible via our public endpoints & on-chain data. Instead of paying for the data, you can access it for free via our APIs.”Source: Polymarket Hacker claims over 300,000 records stolen The so-called hacker said the data was being posted because Polymarket didn’t have a bug bounty program. Related: Scammers use Gmail dot alias trick to spoof Robinhood in phishing scamHowever, Polymarket has a live bug bounty program that started April 16 and has received 446 reports as of Wednesday.  Source: Dark Web Informer Xorcat also said data was pulled via undocumented API endpoints, pagination bypass and CORS misconfiguration on Polymarket’s Gamma and CLOB APIs. The hacker claimed to have breached other prediction markets and planned to release the data over the next few days.Several security experts have expressed doubt. Vladimir S, a threat researcher and chief security officer at Legalblock, said it appears “someone parsed data and is trying to present it as a [DB] leak. It does not seem probable to me.”Magazine: Forget stablecoin yield, how does the CLARITY Act treat DeFi?   Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Aptos Labs founding engineer Sherry Xiao said Aptos’ newly introduced privacy coin could fix a long-standing trade-off between protecting user privacy and preserving transparency for compliance.“Confidential APT” launched on the Aptos mainnet on Friday after a governance proposal to integrate the privacy feature passed in a near-unanimous vote. It uses zero-knowledge proofs to conceal token balances and transfer amounts while still enabling transactions to be verified.Source: AptosWhile blockchains offer a level of transparency that most traditional ledgers do not, the lack of privacy has slowed individual and enterprise adoption due to the risk of exposing financially sensitive information.In an interview with Cointelegraph, Xiao said Confidential APT — which is pegged 1:1 to Aptos (APT) — reduces the risks of users being subjected to wallet profiling or targeted scams:“Portfolio sniping, social pressure from visible holdings, personal safety — these are pain points people feel today.”Confidential APT can conceal salaries, business strategiesXiao said the Confidential APT token solves an active problem in the workplace, too.“If a company runs payroll on-chain with visible amounts, every employee’s salary is permanently public — to coworkers, competitors, recruiters, everyone,” she said.“Same with treasury moves, settlement flows, trading strategies,” Xiao said, noting that blockchain’s lack of privacy is an “operational dealbreaker” for many businesses.Related: Dorsey’s Block unveils Bitcoin proof-of-reserves in transparency move However, “Confidential balances solve that directly,” Xiao said.Backdoor function can be enabled for investigation purposesXiao said Confidential APT can still comply with know-your-customer and anti-money laundering checks in the event of an investigation or subpoena through the use of auditor keys.Auditor keys may only be authorized following a successful onchain governance vote, she noted:“This approach allows relevant parties to access information like transfer amounts for investigations, while preserving privacy as the default for users.”While Confidential APT conceals token balances and transfer amounts, the wallet addresses involved and transaction verification remain visible, distinguishing it from other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Monero (XMR).Xiao said she expects individuals to adopt Confidential APT faster than businesses, noting that integrating the privacy coin into the tax reporting pipeline and compliance will take some time.That said, “If Confidential APT runs on mainnet for six months with solid volume and no issues, that’s the proof point that shortens the enterprise sales cycle,” Xiao added.Magazine: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto: Canton, Zcash and moreCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.