The threat actors hijacked Bitcoin.org, the authentic website of the Bitcoin project, and altered its parts to push a cryptocurrency giveaway scam.
The hack lasted for less than a day but the hackers managed to get away with a little over $17,000.
On September 23rd, the home page of bitcoin.org stated that the Bitcoin Foundation wants to support the users who have helped them along the years. It encouraged users to send Bitcoins to the attacker’s displayed wallet address and that they would send double the amount in return.
In order to further appeal to the claim, scammers wrote that the offer was limited to the first 10,000 users.
Soon after the hack, Bitcoin.org’s site operator(s) who goes by the name Cøbra, also issued a public warning stating that they have been compromised.
Although Bitcoin is assumed to be created by a pseudonymous identity, “Satoshi Nakamoto,” the author of the research paper that gave birth to the cryptocurrency, a newer identity “Cøbra” is lately seen managing the Bitcoin.org website, social media, and community channels.
After Cøbra’s announcement, Bitcoin.org’s domain registrar Namecheap also promptly disabled the domain until the issue was remedied.
Still, unfortunately, some cryptocurrency enthusiasts may have fallen for the scam as evident from the attacker’s wallet balance. The transaction history shows multiple deposits made from different Bitcoin addresses to the attacker’s wallet.
The last updated balance of the wallet was at 0.40571238 BTC or approximately US$17,000. Bitcoin.org has now been restored. The main cause of the website hijack remains unconfirmed.
Giveaway scams have become a common theme in the cryptocurrency realm as attackers who set up these lures have found much success.
All users are suggested to remain vigilant for cryptocurrency scams and emails.
Image Credits : The Goa Spotlight
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