EigenLayer’s X Account Hacked, Shares Fake AirDrop Link

Key Takeaways

• Users have been warned against clicking any links shared from the compromised account
• The scam airdrop claim redirected users to a link that was unrelated to EigenLayer.

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of EigenLayer, a decentralized restaking protocol, has reportedly fallen victim to a hacking incident. Users have been warned against clicking any links shared from the compromised account, which has begun disseminating phishing content.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT issued a warning on Telegram, stating, “EigenLayer X/Twitter account is currently compromised, do not click any links.” The breach was marked by a misleading post that falsely announced a reallocation of EIGEN tokens for a supposed second-season airdrop.

This message included a malicious link intended to deceive users. Shortly after, another post urged followers to make claims, followed by a final post urging immediate action. The scam airdrop claim redirected users to a link that was unrelated to EigenLayer.

Mudit Gupta, the Chief Information Security Officer at Polygon Labs, confirmed the situation, stating, “EigenLayer Twitter has been compromised. Do not click any links. There’s no new airdrop.” Additional warnings have come from DeFiLlama regarding the compromised account.

According to Chainalysis, phishing schemes have led to billions of dollars in losses since 2021, with social media platforms like X and Telegram becoming common venues for these scams. 

Interestingly, despite the hacking incident, the price of EIGEN increased by over 10% that same day, likely bolstered by support from major crypto exchanges and favorable developments surrounding the protocol.

Fake airdrop scams are becoming common in the crypto space. In these scams, users or participants are often asked to send a small amount of crypto to verify their wallet address or pay transaction fees to a malicious smart contract that could drain their funds. Once the payment is made, the scammers disappear with the funds, and the promised tokens are never delivered to the users.

 The first half of 2024 has seen over 200 significant hacks in the crypto industry, totaling around $1.56 billion in losses, with only $319 million recovered. Last month, Decentraland’s official X account was hacked, with attackers promoting a fraudulent MANA token airdrop.