Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has labeled October 2022 as “the biggest month in the biggest year ever for hacking activity” with the total hacked value for the month nearly reaching $718 million. Despite not being more than halfway through the month, Chainalysis said 11 different hacks on decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols had seen hundreds of millions exploited. Four exploits alone took place on Oct. 11 worth around $122 million. Hackers siphoned $200,000 in crypto using a smart contract from crypto wallet Rabby Wallet, $1.89 million from blockchain QANplatform’s Ethereum (ETH) bridge, $2 million from TempleDAO, and a $118 million exploit …

French authorities have reportedly utilized research from pseudonymous blockchain sleuth ZachXBT to charge five people on suspicion of stealing $2.5 million worth of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) via phishing scams. According to an Oct. 12 report from the Agence France Presse (AFP) shared by Barron’s, the alleged fraudsters built a website that masqueraded as a service that animates the static artwork from people’s Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFTs. Unfortunately for the victims, they had their credentials swiped and their NFTs stolen via the phishing website instead. The five young suspects are said to be …

Such a philosophy is common among investors who are enthusiastic about blockchain’s potential to dominate Web3 as it becomes the infrastructure of the new internet. Yet, if you swap “cryptocurrency” with “stock,” you get a Warren Buffett quote — word-for-word. Of course, Buffett would never say such a thing about cryptocurrency because he thinks it’s worthless. So do a host of other heavy hitters, ranging from Buffett’s close ally Charlie Munger to gold’s poster boy Peter Schiff. Add to the list J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, and even Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren — a …

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami Field Office has warned that crypto ATMs are emerging as a popular method that scammers use to receive funds from defrauded victims. The information was revealed as part of an Oct. 3 public warning about “pig butchering scams” where scammers pose as long-lost friends or potential romantic partners to swipe money from victims. The scammers “fatten up” their victims by showing a supposedly genuine interest in them to win their trust, and then gradually introduce investment discussions into the relationship. In the public service announcement in cooperation with the Internet Crime Complaint Center …

The financial service provider Mastercard will launch a new crypto service related to risk management on Tuesday Oct. 3. Mastercard’s new service, Crypto Secure, is aimed to help banks find and prevent fraud on crypto merchant platforms. Crypto Secure combines the usage of artificial intelligence, blockchain data and public records of crypto transactions, along with other sources, to determine crime-related risks of crypto exchanges within the Mastercard network. Mastercard already has a similar service with fiat currency transactions available to banks. The president of cyber and intelligence business for Mastercard, Ajay Bhalla, said this development helps its partners stay compliant …

Non fungible token (NFT) artist Mike "Beeple" Winkelmann has found himself the target of phishing scammers yet again, warning users that the URL link to his official Discord server was “hacked” — sending unaware new members to a wallet draining Discord channel if they follow the link. In an Oct. 3 post UTC, the NFT artist called out Discord for “being garbage,” warning users not to go into the Discord and verify as it will “drain your wallet.” it appears our discord URLs were hacked to point to a fraudulent discord. DO NOT go into that discord and do not …

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Oct. 3 that Kim Kardashian settled an allegation that she promoted “a crypto asset security offered and sold by EthereumMax without disclosing the payment [of $250,000] she received for the promotion.” While she cooperated and closed the case with $1.26 million in penalties, the charge highlights the liability that “influencers” increasingly face as a result of an activist SEC that has failed to establish regulatory clarity. Pushing influencers to leave the United States Addressing the agency’s action against Kardashian, Jacob Robinson, a legal scholar and host of the Law and Code podcast, noted …

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) announced last month that it had issued desist and refrain orders to 11 entities for violating California securities laws. Some of the highlights included allegations that they offered unqualified securities as well as material misrepresentations and omissions to investors. These violations should remind us that while crypto is a unique and exciting industry for the public at large, it is still an area that is rife with the potential for bad players and fraud. To date, government crypto regulation has been minimal at best, with a distinct lack of action. Whether …

Scammers have hacked the official Twitter account of the Embassy of India in Oman, replacing the profile picture with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and using the reply function to spam users with fake XRP giveaway phishing links. At the time of publication, the Twitter account OmanEmbassy_Ind showed several retweets matching those of Garlinghouse, seemingly in an attempt to make the activity look legitimate. The hacked account has been responding to tweets using the hashtag XRP, encouraging users to sign up for a fake giveaway of 100 million tokens — worth more than $42 million at an XRP price of $0.42. …

BNB Chain, the native blockchain of Binance, has launched AvengerDAO, a new community-driven security initiative to help users against scams, malicious actors and possible exploits. The security-centric decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) has been developed in association with leading security firms and popular crypto projects such as Certik, TrustWallet, PancakeSwap and Opera, to name a few. The AvengerDAO security initiative mainly consists of three major components, namely a passive API system called Meter, a subscription-based alert system called Watch, and a programmable fund management system called Vault. When a user on the BNB Chain interacts with any applications or counterparties, the …

Disgraced cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network asked a court this month to return assets to its “custody clients,” but not to its “earn-and-borrow” customers. Wondering how to keep yourself in the former group when the crypto exchange you’re using goes under? Here’s a summary. What exactly is a “custody client?” It’s similar in principle to a savings account with a traditional bank — often repayable upon demand by the custodian. In this case, it’s Celsius that has a fiduciary responsibility. This type of account is kept separate from an “earn-and-borrow” account. It includes coins that can be transferred, swapped or used …

Crypto influencer FatManTerra claims to have gathered over $100,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC) from crypto investors in an investment scheme that was later revealed as fake. The crypto researcher said he created the fake investment scheme as an experiment and to teach people a lesson about blindly following the investment advice of influencers. The account on Twitter has around 101,100 followers and is mostly known for being a former Terra proponent that now actively speaks out against the project and founder Do Kwon following its $40 billion collapse in May. In a Sept. 5 tweet, FatManTerra told his followers he …