Most of us have been following what’s been happening with Bitcoin (BTC) lately. Its price skyrocketed in January and is currently hovering around $37,000. Discord is a messaging and voice calling service that serves around 300 million users. But how are the two connected? You’ll find out by reading the article below!
According to Kaspersky researcher Mikhail Sytnik, hackers are now breaking into Discord servers and sending private messages to users pretending to be from new, emerging cryptocurrency exchanges.
As new exchanges claim to “support traders during these difficult times,” they try to lure users with promises of free cryptocurrency. And, of course, the recipient is the lucky one chosen to receive the free BTC or ETH.
Each message contains instructions and a code for accepting the "gift" and a link to register on the fake exchange.
“The link opens to a website that looks like a cryptocurrency exchange, with a responsive layout, smart design , and exchange rate information, charts, order books, and trading history that cryptocurrency traders would expect to see on an exchange platform,” the researchers said. “Visitors will also find technical support and multiple language options. It appears the hacker did a pretty good job of making the website look legitimate.”
As cryptocurrency wallets are now a top target for hackers, websites are also offering “two-factor authentication” and “phishing protection” options to appear legitimate.
Victims who go through the registration process must then provide a substantial personal profile that includes contact information, photo ID, selfie, and signature.
While these checks are now common on legitimate cryptocurrency trading posts, this information can be collected and sold to other cybercriminals or could potentially be used for identity theft.
In the final step of this attack, once the gift is submitted and accepted, the scammers demand a small “amount” in BTC, ETH, or USD to process the gift. If a victim hands over their cash, of course, they lose it.
Information source: zdnet.com
