Hacker Steals $45,000 From Victims by Impersonating Tron DAO on X

A hacker reportedly gained access to Tron DAO’s X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, stealing over $45,000 from victims. A public relations representative from Tron told crypto news outlet Cointelegraph that the intruder sent private messages to several web3 developers, persuading them to send money in exchange for advertising their crypto projects on the popular X account.

The hacker, who had posed as Tron DAO to several crypto projects and media outlets, reportedly began messaging web3 developers shortly after 6:00 UTC, claiming that Tron DAO was looking for projects to support with advertising.

While the Tron security team managed to detect the intrusion within an hour and blocked the hacker from sending messages, the stolen money, which was sent to a Tron address, was cashed out via the OKX exchange.

Crypto Community Links Tron DAO Hacker to New York Post Attack

Meanwhile, crypto community members on X have noted a striking similarity between the Tron DAO hack and last week’s attack on the New York Post X account. Hackers involved in the two incidents sent direct messages to their targets, causing many to believe they were responsible for both occasions.

However, although the Tron team acknowledges the similarities, it has refrained from jumping to conclusions, claiming a proper investigation is required to “establish a definitive connection.”

How Did the Attacker Gain Access to Tron DAO’s X Account?

Upon regaining access, the Tron DAO team took to X to explain how the attacker possibly hacked the project’s account. It claimed that a social engineering attack could have been launched on one of its members, thus allowing the hacker to gain access to the X account.

Following the unfortunate incident, Tron says law enforcement has opened investigations to identify the perpetrator. It is worth mentioning that the project’s founder, Justin Sun, accused OKX of failing to obey a request from law enforcement to freeze the hacker’s exchange account. However, OKX CEO Star Xu denied Sun’s allegations, prompting the Tron founder to delete his tweet with the accusations.

Curve Finance’s X Account Compromised

Tron DAO’s X account wasn’t the only one targeted on Monday. Decentralized finance project Curve Finance saw its X account compromised, with the hacker sharing a link to a website hosting an alleged CRV token airdrop. Luckily, the protocol’s CEO, Michael Egorov, immediately cautioned users not to follow the link, revealing that the account was hacked.