An NFT influencer claims he lost a “life-changing amount” of his net worth in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies after accidentally downloading malware found in Google Ads search results.
The anonymous influencer known on Twitter as “NFT God” posted a series of Tweets On January 14th they describe how their “entire digital livelihood” was attacked, including hacking into their cryptocurrency wallet and multiple accounts. Online.
Last night my entire digital livelihood was breached.
Every account associated with me personally and professionally has been hacked and used to harm others.
Less importantly, I lost a variable amount of my net worth
– NFT God (NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
Last night, all of my digital assets were hacked.
All accounts associated with me, both personally and professionally, have been hacked and used to harm others.
Less importantly, I lost a life-changing amount of my net worth.
– NFT God (NFT_GOD)
NFT God, also known as “Alex”, said he used Google search to download OBS, an open source video streaming software. But instead of clicking on the official website, he clicked on the sponsored advertisement for what he thought was the same thing.
Only hours later – after a series of phishing tweets the attackers posted on two Twitter accounts Alex works – did he realize that malware It was downloaded from the advertisement along with the software it wanted.
After a message from an acquaintance, Alex notices that his cryptocurrency wallet has also been hacked. The next day, the attackers hacked into his Substack account and sent emails from phishing to its 16,000 subscribers.
Then I get the DM that I was dreading. “Dude, have you had a monkey?”
I open an Opensea bookmark for my monkey and there it is. A completely different wallet is listed as the owner.
I knew in that moment that everything was gone. Everything. All my cryptocurrencies and NFTs were taken from me
– NFT God (NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
Then I get the DM that I fear the most. “Dude, did you eat your monkey?”
I open my monkey’s open tag and there it is. Completely different wallet listed as owner.
I knew in that moment it was over. Everything. All my cryptocurrencies and NFTs were taken away
– NFT God (NFT_GOD)
Blockchain Network data shows that at least 19 Ether (ETH) worth approximately $27,000 currently, a Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT with a current minimum price of 16 ETH ($25,000) and several other NFTs have been embezzled from Alex wallet.
The attacker moved most of the ETH across various wallets before sending it to the decentralized exchange (DEX) FixedFloat, where it was exchanged for unknown cryptocurrencies.
Alex believes that the “fatal mistake” that allowed the wallet to be hacked was setting up his hardware wallet as a hot wallet, entering his seed phrase “in a way that doesn’t make it any cooler” or offline, which allowed the hacker to control your cryptocurrency and NFT.
Unfortunately, the NFT God experience isn’t the first time the crypto community has taken issue with it malware Stealing cryptocurrency from Google ads.
A report published on January 12 by cybersecurity firm Cyble warned of a malware An information-stealing threat called “Rhadamanthys Stealer” is spreading through Google ads on “Pages phishing Very convincing. “
In October, Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao warned that Google search results were promoting scam sites and phishing of cryptocurrencies.
Cointelegraph has reached out to Google for comment on the issue, but has not received a response. However, Google said in its Help Center that it is “actively working with advertisers and trusted partners to help prevent malware in ads.”
It also describes the use of “proprietary detection tools and technology”. malwareTo check Google ads regularly.
Cointelegraph was unable to replicate search results that offended Alex or verify that the malicious website was still active.
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