An NFT influencer claims to have lost âa life-changing amountâ of their net worth in nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and crypto after accidentally downloading malicious software found in a Google Ad search result.
The pseudo-anonymous influencer known on Twitter as âNFT Godâ posted a series of tweets on Jan. 14 describing how his âentire digital livelihoodâ came under attack including a compromise of his crypto wallet and multiple online accounts.
Last night my entire digital livelihood was violated.
Every account connected to me both personally and professionally was hacked and used to hurt others.
Less importantly, I lost a life changing amount of my net worth
— NFT God (@NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
NFT God, known also as âAlexâ said he used Google’s search engine to download OBS, an open-source video streaming software, instead of clicking on the official website, he clicked the sponsored advertisement for what he thought was the same thing.Â
It wasnât until hours later after a series of phishing tweets posted by attackers on two Twitter accounts Alex operates that he realized malware was downloaded from the sponsored advertisement alongside the software he wanted.
Following a message from an acquaintance, Alex noticed his crypto wallet was also compromised. The day after, attackers breached his Substack account and sent phishing emails to his 16,000 subscribers.
Then I get the DM I’ve been dreading. “Dude you WETH’d your ape?”
I pop open the Opensea bookmark of my ape and there it is. A completely different wallet listed as the owner.
I knew at that moment it was all gone. Everything. All my crypto and NFTs ripped from me
— NFT God (@NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
Blockchain data shows at least 19 Ether (ETH) worth nearly $27,000 at the time, a Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT with a current floor price of 16 ETH ($25,000) and multiple other NFTs were siphoned from Alexâs wallet.
The attacker moved most of the ETH through multiple wallets before sending it to the decentralized exchange (DEX) FixedFloat, where it was swapped for unknown cryptocurrencies.
Alex believes the âcritical mistakeâ that allowed the wallet hack was setting up his hardware wallet as a hot wallet by entering its seed phrase âin a way that no longer kept it cold,â or offline which allowed hackers to gain control of his crypto and NFTs.
Related: Navigating the World of Crypto: Tips for Avoiding Scams
Unfortunately, NFT Godâs experience isnât the first time the crypto community has dealt with crypto-stealing malware in Google Ads.
A Jan. 12 report from cybersecurity firm Cyble warned of an information-stealing malware called âRhadamanthys Stealerâ spreading through Google Ads on âhighly convincing phishing webpage[s].â
In October 2022, Binance CEO Changpeng âCZâ Zhao warned Google results were promoting crypto phishing and scamming websites in search results.
Cointelegraph contacted Google for comment but did not receive a response. In its help center, however, Google said it âactively works with trusted advertisers and partners to help prevent malware in ads.â
It also describes its use of âproprietary technology and malware detection toolsâ to regularly scan Google Ads.
Cointelegraph was unable to replicate the results of Alexâs search nor verify if the malicious website was still active.
