Scammers bagged over $500k from 15+ X breaches

Over 15 X accounts were recently compromised, with hackers launching scam Solana meme coins and pocketing an estimated $500,000.

A threat actor targeting Solana (SOL) meme investors and X pages has made about half a million dollars promoting scam tokens via hacked social media pages, blockchain sleuth ZachXBT revealed on Dec. 24.

Popular accounts like Brett (BRETT), Kick Streaming, and Alex Blania were all breached. In each case, the hijacked page would announce a new coin and share a contract address, inviting unsuspecting victims to invest SOL.

ZachXBT has spotted over 15 incidents since Nov. 26, all leading back to a concentrated effort from an unknown bad actor.

How the X hackers gained access

ZachXBT’s investigation showed scammers deployed scare tactics to steal passwords and other credentials. The hacker would mimic X support agents, claiming users violated terms of use and copyright policies.

X has become a global town square since Elon Musk bought the company formerly known as Twitter. A vision of free speech and creator payouts incentivized more projects to build brands on the social network.

Hackers have leveraged X’s prominence to bombard users with phishing links, preying on a sense of urgency builders often experience when faced with potentially losing their social media accounts. ZachXBT advised the public to “limit email address reuse between services” and also use “security keys for 2FA on important accounts” to strengthen personal cyber safety.