Virtuals Protocol, an AI agent platform, recently suffered a hack on its Discord server, sending shockwaves throughout its communities.
The platform shared the news, explaining that the hack was caused by a compromised private key of one of its moderators Discord. The Virtuals Protocol team said the breach has since been resolved. However, the situation awakened conversations about the need for stronger security measures among crypto platforms.
Update: One of our Discord mods had their account compromised. The incident is now resolved. https://t.co/E1Z0y5IQXl
— Virtuals Protocol (@virtuals_io) January 8, 2025
What happened?
On Wednesday, January 8th, one of the platform’s moderators suffered a compromise to their private keys, allowing an attacker to slip into the server unnoticed. The hacker proceeded to share harmful links on the server, putting the community at great risk.
Scam Sniffer, a cybersecurity firm, uncovered a separate security concern involving Virtual Protocol. The hackers created fake Virtuals Protocol websites and promoted them through Google Search ads, making the websites appear legitimate to unsuspecting users. Sniffer warned users not to interact with these sites, urging them to double-check links before visiting.
🚨 Google’s really outdoing itself—now showing THREE phishing ads impersonating Virtuals Protocol (up from one)!
Scammers are paying Google bucks to steal your crypto.
Pro tip: If you enjoy losing assets, click those top search results and connect your wallet! 🎯
Stay safe,… https://t.co/RG4Io0JIyO pic.twitter.com/4klK3PdsjX
— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) January 8, 2025
The Growing Trend of Phishing Scams.
Incidents like this serve as a harsh reminder of the vulnerabilities online communities face. Although the Virtual Protocol incident was easily resolved, the damage could have been far worse if the links had tricked users into sharing sensitive information or funds.
🚨 According to @PeckShieldAlert, Crypto hacks surge in 2024, with losses surpassing $3.01B—up ~15% from 2023!
⚠️ $2.15B stolen from hacks and $834.5M from scams.
🛡 Thankfully, ~$488.5M of stolen crypto has been recovered.#CryptoSecurity #CryptoHacks #Scams #Blockchain pic.twitter.com/S0wsg1LiJq
— Crypto News (CoinGape) (@CoinGapeMedia) January 9, 2025
Phishing scams, in particular, have become commonplace in crypto. Some reports claim phishing scams stole over $1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies in 2024. Phishing scams have surpassed traditional scams as a major cause of financial loss in crypto.
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