- Netgear and Hyundai’s accounts were used to send phishing links
- A hacker sent a CertiK employee a fake link for scheduling app Calendly
- Musk’s decision to let 80% of X employees go affected medium’s security
Malicious actors hacked the X accounts of Hyundai, Mandiant, Netgear and CertiK and used them to perpetrate crypto scams, an investigation by TechTarget revealed.
Mandiant account used to promote fake giveaway
Mandiant, a security company owned by Google, had its X account hacked on Jan. 3. The hijacker used their X handle to promote a fake crypto giveaway on behalf of crypto wallet provider Phantom, screenshots posted by research firm VX-Underground showed.
Mandiant recovered their account the following day, enabling two-factor authentication.
Phishing links sent through Hyundai, Netgear accounts
Both Netgear and car manufacturer Hyundai’s accounts were hijacked in the last few days. They were then used to send phishing links. The hacker presented Hyundai’s account as that of Overworld, a web3 game. Netgear’s account was posed as belonging to BRC, a cryptocurrency trading platform. People who clicked on the malicious links and linked their wallets lost all of their funds.
Fake link to interview compromised CertiK
CertiK, the leading Web3 security firm, had its X account hacked earlier this year. A staff member was contacted by the verified, but compromised account of a Forbes editor who supposedly wanted to interview them. The hacker sent the staff member a fake link for scheduling app Calendly. Certik's X account was hacked thereafter, and the hacker used it to send crypto-related phishing links.
X ads rife with crypto scams
X ads have been rife with cryptocurrency scams in recent months. Ads for nonexistent tokens like "X Token" and "X Coin" have appeared on X. These fake coins purport a connection to the social medium. Bad actors even used Musk's likeness.
Are mass X layoffs to blame?
In an email to TechTarget, security expert Christopher Budd said there was evidence to indicate that Musk’s decision to let go almost 80% of X employees over the past year affected the platform’s security and stability.
Contributors
