Vitalik Buterin's X Account Compromised: Over $690K Drained
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's X account was hacked, resulting in significant financial losses for many.
Ethereum's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, recently fell victim to a significant hack on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, resulting in substantial financial losses for many.
On September 10th, Vitalik Buterin's X account displayed a now-deleted tweet, which claimed that Consensys would launch a commemorative NFT to celebrate Ethereum's Proto-Danksharding feature. This tweet contained a malicious link, promising a free NFT. However, unsuspecting victims who clicked on this link and connected their wallets found their funds siphoned off.
WARNING! I JUST LOST A FEW PUNKS!
DON'T INTERACT! pic.twitter.com/lS4VvlHdVa — luckytimes.eth beautifuldaytobealive.eth (@BokkyPooBah) September 9, 2023
Dmitry Buterin, Vitalik's father, was quick to alert the community about the breach, stating that his son's account had been compromised and that efforts were underway to regain control.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT shed light on the financial ramifications of this hack. Victims who fell for the scam and clicked on the deceptive link collectively lost over $691,000. The most valuable NFT stolen in this hack was CryptoPunk #3983, valued at a staggering $250,543. Several crypto users, including Ethereum developer Bok Khoo (known as Bokky Poobah on X), reported significant losses, particularly from their NFT collections.
The incident sparked reactions within the crypto community. One user, Satoshi 767, questioned the security measures Buterin had in place for his X account. He suggested that Buterin should take responsibility for the incident, speculating that the hack might have been a result of a SIM swap. However, ZachXBT countered these claims, emphasizing that Buterin's high-profile status makes him a prime target for various hacking attempts. He also highlighted the possibility of insider involvement or other sophisticated methods of compromise.
$147K drained so far pic.twitter.com/A4Xmr4MBmI — ZachXBT (@zachxbt) September 9, 2023
In 2023 alone, Web3 platforms have reported losses of over $1.2 billion due to hacks and other malicious activities. Ethereum, in particular, has been a frequent target, with several incidents affecting protocols built on its network.
