Key Takeaways
- Hackers a tweet announcing NFT to celebrate the introduction of the “Proto-Danksharding” feature on the ETH with a malicious link
- Account has now been recovered
In a recent and unsettling turn of events, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin found himself at the center of a Twitter hack, which has left numerous individuals in financial distress. The incident, initially reported by blockchain investigator ZachXBT, has exposed a significant security vulnerability, leading to victims collectively losing over $691,000. This incident highlights the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in the cryptocurrency space.
On September 9th, Dmitry Buterin, the father of Vitalik, took to Twitter to announce the breach of his son’s account. He urged readers to disregard any suspicious activity and reassured the community that Vitalik was actively working to regain control of his compromised account. The urgency of the situation was palpable.
The hack unfolded swiftly, with the hackers briefly gaining control of Vitalik Buterin’s Twitter account. During this brief period, they posted a tweet announcing a commemorative Non-Fungible Token (NFT) to celebrate the introduction of the “Proto-Danksharding” feature on the Ethereum blockchain. The tweet contained a malevolent link, enticing unsuspecting victims with the promise of a free NFT.
However, those who took the bait and connected their wallets to the provided link soon found themselves falling prey to the hacker’s scheme. Once the victim’s wallets were accessed, the malicious actor swiftly drained their funds, resulting in substantial financial losses for those affected.
This security breach involving Vitalik Buterin’s Twitter account raises serious concerns about the overall security within the cryptocurrency space. This incident occurred against the backdrop of other high-profile crypto-related Twitter account compromises, such as the hacking of Uniswap founder Hayden Adams’ account in July 2023.
Despite the alarming nature of the hack, Vitalik Buterin’s Twitter account was fortunately recovered from the hackers in a relatively short timeframe. Commenting on the development, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao urged users to excercise caution before clicking on suspicious links. ‘Use common sense when reading content on social media, even from large KOLs’, CZ’s post on X reads.
