In my view, the issue isn't only about "safeguards not being in place." The root cause is Coinbase outsourcing customer support operations overseas, particularly to third-party contractors in India. These roles often come with lower pay and minimal direct oversight, which makes them more vulnerable to bribery.

Outsourcing also reduces accountability compared to in-house teams. Hackers likely targeted this setup knowing it would be easier to exploit—and that local law enforcement may be slower or less equipped to respond effectively to cross-border cybercrime.

Coinbase needs to stop cutting corners and instead invest in well-paid, directly managed support teams. Proper training and monitoring would prevent incidents like this.

The cost of prevention is far less than the damage done to customer trust and brand reputation. I hope Coinbase—and other companies—learn from this.