- The malicious hacking group ‘Pink Drainer’ has carried out a sophisticated phishing scam, targeting cryptocurrency owners, and successfully stealing nearly $3 million by impersonating media professionals primarily on platforms such as Twitter and Discord.
- Using intricate tactics of social engineering, the hackers earn their victims’ trust through faux interviews and trick them into divulging authentication details via counterfeit websites, gaining control of their accounts to plunder digital assets and confidential data.
- In light of the ongoing threat posed by ‘Pink Drainer’, digital asset holders are advised to maintain heightened vigilance, critically assess all media communications, and cross-verify any promotional content through official websites and social media channels of the involved platforms.
The notorious hacking group known as ‘Pink Drainer‘ assumes the identities of media professionals in a shrewd and systematic cyber offensive targeting cryptocurrency owners.
Pink Drainer scams multiple crypto investors
A cunning hacking operation, identified as ‘Pink Drainer’, has been executing a widespread phishing scam, duping unsuspecting victims via counterfeit media communications, primarily on Twitter and Discord.
The motive? To raid and plunder cryptocurrency reserves.
Reports from the cyber intelligence unit at ScamSniffer reveal the Pink Drainer hacking collective successfully breached 1,932 accounts, amassing an alarming total of $2,997,307 in stolen cryptocurrencies from networks such as Mainnet and Arbitrum.
The ScamSniffer’s sophisticated on-chain surveillance mechanism exposed the hackers’ operations when they made off with $327,000 worth of NFTs from a single victim.
Several recent targets of these stealthy cyber attacks include renowned figures such as Mira Murati, the CTO of OpenAI, celebrated artist Steve Aoki, as well as organizations including Evmos, Pika Protocol, Orbiter Finance, LiFi, Flare Network, Cherry Network, and Starknet.
🚨SCAM ALERT
The @EvmosOrg Discord server has been hacked.
There is a fake airdrop announcement and all text channels have been restricted to read only.
DO NOT PRESS THE LINK pic.twitter.com/8oze8AGXto
— Cosmoshield (@cosmoshield_org) May 8, 2023
Masterful manipulation tactics
Using the tools of social engineering, Pink Drainer meticulously impersonates reporters from reputable cryptocurrency news agencies such as Cointelegraph and Decrypt. They devise intricate scams involving faux interviews with their targets, investing several days to build a rapport and establish trust.
Once they’ve earned their target’s confidence, the scam artists use the guise of a KYC validation process to trick their victims into divulging authentication details. The victims are lured to phony websites that mimic malicious bots like a Carl verification bot, designed to steal Discord authentication tokens.
❌Pika Protocol's Discord server seems to be hacked
➡️ DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS!
* Nếu ai làm gì với Pika thì cẩn thận nè, Pika bị h a ck.
— Lsb108 (@lovestern83) May 30, 2023
The websites instruct victims to add bookmarks containing malevolent JavaScript code via a “Drag Me” button located on the fraudulent page. This code clandestinely steals Discord tokens, enabling the hackers to seize control of the accounts without needing any knowledge of user credentials or a way to bypass two-factor authentication codes.
After gaining control, the fraudsters elevate their access level to ‘administrator‘, promptly removing any other administrators. This undisturbed access allows them to freely siphon digital assets and collect confidential data.
Should the hacked account belong to a high-profile individual or a popular project with a large following, the scammers exploit their new platform to promote deceptive giveaways, fake mints, cryptocurrency frauds, and phishing websites.
🛸 Attention community!!! ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Orbiter Finance's Discord was hacked, we are trying our best to slove it, please don't trust anything in the discord server. Don't click on any links!!!— Orbiter Finance 🛸 (@Orbiter_Finance) June 1, 2023
Regrettably, Pink Drainer continues to pose a significant threat to digital asset holders. As a countermeasure, stakeholders should maintain a heightened sense of vigilance and approach all communications from media outlets with healthy skepticism.
In case of being contacted by a journalist, it is advisable to reach out to the media outlet directly via their official website and verify the legitimacy of the communication.
Similarly, cryptocurrency investors should remain skeptical of promotions broadcasted by even the most trustworthy accounts, instead opting to verify the authenticity of such opportunities by cross-checking with the platform’s official website or other social media channels.
For protecting your assets, you can check out the future of digital asset management in cryptocurrencies!