The security incidents took place shortly after a researcher identified and fixed a critical vulnerability in an audited contract of the Virtuals Protocol.
On January 8, the AI platform Virtuals Protocol experienced a hack of its Discord server, with fraudulent links posing as the Virtuals Protocol website appearing on Google Search.
The Virtuals team revealed that a private key breach of one of the Discord server’s moderators compromised the messaging platform, but the issue has now been resolved.
Cybersecurity firm Scam Sniffer also discovered three malicious links on Google Search that impersonated the Virtuals Protocol website in a separate event.
Scam Sniffer advised users to avoid interacting with these links and to verify official links before clicking. Cybercriminals are increasingly using sophisticated phishing tactics to target cryptocurrency users and steal funds.
🚨 Google's really outdoing itself—now showing THREE phishing ads impersonating Virtuals Protocol (up from one)!
Scammers are paying Google bucks to steal your crypto.
Pro tip: If you enjoy losing assets, click those top search results and connect your wallet! 🎯
Stay safe,… https://t.co/RG4Io0JIyO pic.twitter.com/4klK3PdsjX
— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) January 8, 2025
CertiK, a blockchain security firm, published a year-end report on crypto security threats in 2024, highlighting phishing scams as the most expensive security risk of the past year.
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