*UPDATED* Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin's Reveals How His Twitter was Hacked, Leading to Nearly $700,000 in Stolen Crypto...

Story Published Sept 10

Update Added Sept 16: Jump to update

In a shocking turn of events, Vitalik Buterin's official Twitter account was compromised by hackers on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The breach led to a loss of nearly $700,000 in cryptocurrencies, highlighting the vulnerabilities even high-profile figures face in the digital realm.

The Deceptive Tweet

The hackers, with just a single tweet, managed to deceive a significant number of Buterin's followers. The tweet announced a purported free NFT giveaway from Consensys, a renowned blockchain technology company.

Many followers, seeing the tweet from the official account of Ethereum's creator, were lured into a trap. The link provided in the tweet redirected users to a malicious website designed to exploit their trust.

This type of scam, known as a 'drainer' tricks users into connecting their cryptocurrency wallets to a seemingly legitimate website. Once connected, the hacker can then transfer all assets from the victim's wallet to their own.

High-Value NFTs Stolen

In addition to the stolen cryptocurrencies, the hackers made away with two high-value 'Crypto Punks' NFTs. These digital collectibles have gained immense popularity and value in recent years.

The stolen NFTs were priced at a staggering 153.62 ETH (approximately USD 250,000) and 58.18 ETH (USD 95,000) respectively.

Update: 

We finally have a response from Vitalik, apparent a sim swap was the method used.

Considering this involves ;social engineering' AKA fooling an employee of the phone company in to switching a phone line from the legitimate customer to phone controlled by the hacker.

While the hacker is blame,, at least a little of the blame  must go to T-Mobile whos employees should be properly trained to spot a scam that is several years old.

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