NFT influencer claims he lost a ‘life-changing amount’ of net worth in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and crypto after accidentally downloading malicious software found in Google Ads search results .
The pseudo-anonymous influencer, known on Twitter as “NFT God”, posted a series of tweets on Jan. 14 explaining how his “whole digital life” was under attack. Compromise of his crypto wallet and multiple online accounts.
Last night my entire digital life was compromised.
All accounts that are personally and professionally connected to me have been hacked and used to harm others.
It’s not that important, but I lost a life-altering amount of net worth
— NFT God (@NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
NFT God, also known as ‘Alex’, said he used Google’s search engine to download OBS, an open-source video streaming software, instead of clicking on the official website, and that he clicked on the sponsored ad. I thought it was the same as
A few hours after the attackers posted a series of phishing tweets on two Twitter accounts operated by Alex, Alex realized that malware had been downloaded along with the software he wanted from a sponsored advertisement.
Following a message from an acquaintance, Alex finds that his crypto wallet has also been compromised. The next day, the attacker compromised his Substack account, sent a phishing email to his 16,000 subscribers.
Then, I received the long-awaited DM. “Dude, did you WETH your ape?”
Open the Opensea bookmark for the apes and it’s there. A completely different wallet listed as the owner.
At that moment, I knew it was all gone. All.All ciphers and NFTs ripped from me
— NFT God (@NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
blockchain data At least 19 Ether (ethereum), a Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT worth about $27,000 at the time, with a current lowest price of 16 ETH ($25,000), and several other NFTs siphoned out of Alex’s wallet.
The attackers moved most of the ETH through multiple wallets, where they exchanged it for unknown cryptocurrencies, before sending it to FixedFloat, a decentralized exchange (DEX).
Alex says the “gross mistake” that allowed him to hack his hardware wallet was hot wallet by its input seed phrase “In a way that no longer keeps it cool” or offline to allow the hacker to control his crypto and NFTs.
Related: Navigating the Crypto World: Tips to Avoid Scams
Unfortunately, NFT God’s experience isn’t the first time the cryptocurrency community has dealt with cryptocurrency-stealing malware on Google Ads.
A January 12 report Cybersecurity firm Cyble warned that an information-stealing malware called “Rhadamanthys Stealer” “spreads on highly convincing phishing web pages” via Google Ads.[s]”
October 2022, Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao warned google results Promoted crypto-phishing and fraudulent websites in search results.
Google did not respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment. However, in that Help Center, Google Said “We actively work with trusted advertisers and partners to prevent malware in ads.”
It also describes the use of “proprietary technology and malware detection tools” to periodically scan Google ads.
Cointelegraph was unable to replicate Alex’s search results or confirm whether the malicious website was still active.
