Hackers Compromise MicroStrategy’s X Account to Promote Fake Airdrop
Hackers targeted MicroStrategy's social media to promote a bogus Ethereum token airdrop, resulting in significant financial losses for victims.
Last night, MicroStrategy’s X account fell prey to hackers, who cleverly disseminated malicious links to a counterfeit airdrop of an Ethereum-based token, deceptively named “official” MSTR. The scam began unfolding on February 25, as unsuspecting users were lured into a trap set on a cloned MicroStrategy webpage, compelling them to link their digital wallets under the guise of claiming the fraudulent MSTR airdrop.
The attack led to substantial financial damages, with independent blockchain investigator ZachXBT and the anti-scam platform Scam Sniffer reporting losses surpassing $440,000. The intricacies of the scam involved users granting permissions in their Web3 wallets, which subsequently allowed the perpetrators to siphon off the tokens.
A particularly harrowing case involved an unidentified individual who was swindled out of a staggering $424,786 in altcoins shortly after the malicious campaign commenced. This victim’s loss included significant amounts of Wrapped Balance AI (wBAI), Chintai (CHEX), and Wrapped Pocket Network (wPOKT), with the funds being transferred directly to the attacker’s wallet or indirectly to a secondary wallet linked to the infamous PinkDrainer group.
As of the latest updates, the wallet associated with the MicroStrategy attacker harbored Ethereum-based tokens valued at approximately $329,000, a testament to the scam’s devastating effectiveness. The crypto community has been quick to criticize the gullibility of some victims, especially considering MicroStrategy’s well-known Bitcoin-centric stance, as highlighted by the British crypto investor Cobie. He remarked on the improbability of MicroStrategy, a firm renowned for its Bitcoin advocacy, launching an Ethereum-based token, thereby underlining the importance of vigilance in the crypto space.
These events serve as a stark reminder of the ever-present dangers in the cryptocurrency landscape, emphasizing the need for individuals to exercise caution and conduct due diligence before engaging with digital asset offers, especially those that appear too good to be true.
