Mar 2024 - CoinTelegraph TELEGRAPH PACKY Fake Tokens Launched - $Unknown (Global)
Founded in 2013, Cointelegraph is a privately held company specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. Cointelegraph is a leading independent digital media outlet. It delivers daily news, in-depth analysis, and educational content across various topics, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3. The platform is recognized for its comprehensive coverage, featuring expert opinions, price charts, and reports on the social impact of digital currencies.
Headquartered in the United States, Cointelegraph has expanded its presence internationally, with teams in over 30 countries. The company publishes more than 1,000 articles monthly and offers a range of resources, such as a mobile app, video content, and educational materials like "Cryptopedia" . Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.
In addition to its U.S. headquarters, Cointelegraph has expanded its global presence with offices in various countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.
This breach may indicate weaknesses in the account’s access controls, security monitoring, or incident response procedures, which allowed the attacker to maintain control long enough to disseminate deceptive content before the account was secured.
The exploit involved unauthorized access to Cointelegraph’s official X/Twitter account, likely achieved through credential compromise or social engineering techniques targeting account management controls. Once the attacker gained access, they were able to bypass multi-factor authentication (if enabled) or exploit session management vulnerabilities to post malicious tweets. These tweets included fraudulent announcements promoting a fake cryptocurrency token ($TELEGRAPH). The attack leveraged the trusted status of the verified account to spread misinformation and potentially execute phishing or scam operations.
Contract Address $TELEGRAM: 2Lj7b4hCvv7fUsx56k2M7r8UKYsDWJGCAwCg7azdNaeV
Contract Address $PACKY: mw3LR155fQJiRKjm3oeXQN8NB7BoF2BBbC9s1RjmDbN
There are limited specific details about the amount lost.
The community reacted swiftly and vocally to the Cointelegraph X/Twitter account compromise. Influencers and media outlets such as BSCNews, BSCN Headlines, and The Cryptonomist France quickly confirmed the hack, urging followers to stay cautious. Users like @cuongtran2024 and @pcaversaccio warned others not to engage with the malicious posts, particularly those involving suspicious Solana wallet addresses.
Cointelegraph reportedly regained control of its account shortly thereafter. No official post-mortem or restitution plan has been issued by Cointelegraph as of now.
There does not appear to be any attempt to assist any users who may have been affected by the incident.
The incident highlights a growing trend of social engineering in crypto-related cyberattacks, emphasizing the urgent need for vigilance, two-factor authentication, and skepticism toward unexpected links—even from trusted sources.
Further Analysis
Cointelegraph is a leading independent digital media outlet specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. On March 23, 2024, its official X/Twitter account was compromised—likely via credential theft or social engineering—to promote fake Solana-based tokens ($TELEGRAPH and $PACKY). The attack leveraged the outlet’s trusted status to spread scam content before the account was swiftly recovered, though no public restitution or post-mortem has been provided.
How Could This Have Been Prevented?
More Cryptocurrency Exchange Hacks/Scams/Frauds
Curio Voting Power Exploit > > < < Super Sushi Samurai Minting Exploit
Sources/Further Reading
Tran Cuong - "#CoinTelegraph got hacked, be careful guys :))" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
BSCNews - "Today, Sunday 23rd March, the official account of blockchain media company, @Cointelegraph, suffered what appears to have been a compromise by a malicious actor." - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
BSCN Headlines - "JUST IN: OFFICIAL @COINTELEGRAPH X/TWITTER ACCOUNT COMPROMISED" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
pcaversaccio - "Cointelegraph hacked on X / Twitter. Please don't interact with any of the Solana addresses!" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
TELEGRAPH Token Address - SolScan (Dec 31)
Telegraph Token Minting - SolScan (Dec 31)
The Cryptonomist France - "JUST IN: Cointelegraph's Twitter account hacked" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
PACKY Token - SolScan (Dec 31)
Minting Initial 1,000,000,000 PACKY - SolScan (Dec 31)
PACKY Token Moved To Raydium - SolScan (Dec 31)
@EarningEngine Twitter (Dec 31)
@ApkJnr Twitter (Dec 31)
@Ricardo__Gordon Twitter (Dec 31)
@its_Adityya Twitter (Dec 31)
@CryptoExptAvni Twitter (Dec 31)
@somaxbt Twitter (Dec 31)
SomaXBT - "Update: @Cointelegraph recovered account successfully" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
@ibiraw Twitter (Dec 31)
@EvanLuthra Twitter (Dec 31)
@ninjanewsx Twitter (Dec 31)
@YazanXBT Twitter (Dec 31)
@wiseadvicesumit Twitter (Dec 31)
@SOU_BTC Twitter (Dec 31)
@CryptoKingKeyur Twitter (Dec 31)
@KoalaAIvip Twitter (Dec 31)
About CoinTelegraph (Dec 31)
CoinTelegraph LinkedIn (Dec 31)
Cointelegraph Announces Chinese HQ, Bolstering Its International Expansion - CoinTelegraph (Dec 31)
CoinTelegraph Office Locations - Employbl (Dec 31)
Cointelegraph Company Profile 2024 - Pitchbook (Dec 31)
Cointelegraph Overview - SignalHire Company Profile (Dec 31)
Cointelegraph: Contact Information, Journalists, and Overview - Muckrack (Dec 31)
Another example why not to trust Cointelegraph - CryptoCurrency Reddit (Dec 31)
 t.me/QuadrigaInitiative
|
 /r/QuadrigaInitiative
|
 @QuadrigaInit
|
 info@quadrigainitiative.com
|