The British Army’s Twitter account has been altered to promote bitcoin contribution schemes and display pictures of bogus NFTs.
A risky hack that was easily stopped
The hacker(s), whose identity is still unknown, took control of the British army’s Twitter and YouTube accounts on Sunday. The banner image and profile photo of the Twitter account were changed to resemble a group of NFTs known as “The Possessed,” and the account’s name was changed to “pssssd.”
Although it’s unclear precisely when the two accounts were compromised, it seems like things are back to normal now.
The Department of Defense press department posted on Twitter that “we are aware of a hack of the military’s Twitter and YouTube accounts and an investigation is ongoing.” The military is addressing the issue and takes information security very seriously.
The account was rebranded earlier on Sunday to “Bapesclan,” the name of another NFT collection, and its banner image was changed to a cartoon monkey wearing a clown costume. Additionally, the hacker started retweeting tweets that promoted NFT donation schemes. To learn why Web 3.0 businesses are being hacked, read this article.
An fast response to a direct message from CNBC on Twitter was not received by Bapesclan.
While all recordings were removed from the account, the name of the British Army’s YouTube channel was changed to “Ark Invest,” the investment firm of Tesla and bitcoin booster Cathie Wood.
A number of previous livestreams showing Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have been substituted for the British Army films by hackers.
The B Word conference, which Ark Invest held last June, had previously featured these livestreams, but the hackers added an overlay that urged viewers to take part in a cryptocurrency scam. The channel simultaneously broadcast four livestreams, some of which attracted thousands of people. Scams of this kind are particularly prevalent when Elon Musk or Charles Hoskinson give talks.
The hack of the military’s Twitter and YouTube accounts that happened earlier in the day has been rectified, and an investigation is ongoing, the UK Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
Cybercriminals continue to target cryptocurrencies.
Unfortunately, the Web 3.0 world, with its giveaways, free-mints, and other opportunities, continues to be a favorable environment for hackers and con artists wanting to move rapidly in order to raise large quantities of cryptocurrency and vanish with it.
The fact that this breach targets accounts associated with the British army is very amazing. Generally, personalities are the ones who are targeted, as was the case with Beeple when his account was compromised to spread a phishing link.
Although it is hard to tell how many people have fallen into this trap, we nonetheless highly warn against investing immediately. Always take your time, conduct your research, and watch to see how a project that initially seems appealing develops over time.
