Cryptocurrency [loss] $438,000

Tweet thread by sniko

2022-05-22 [vendor] Beeple Twitter [chain] ethereum
Primary Source ↗
Financial Loss $438,000 (438,000 USD)
Blockchain(s) Ethereum

Incident Details

Attackers gained control of the Twitter account belonging to Beeple, an artist known for “selling” an NFT for $69 million in March 2021 and for his recent horror-inducing NFT collab with Madonna. They used the account to share two scam mint links — first to a supposed NFT collaboration with Louis Vuitton, then to “extra” artwork Beeple supposedly created but never minted as NFTs. The scam drew in around $272,000 in ETH and stole 45 NFTs worth approximately $166,000 before Beeple regained control of his Twitter account about five hours later.Various commenters replied to Beeple’s tweet to say they’d been scammed, and to ask if he could help them recover their funds or NFTs. Some blamed him and his poor security practices for their losses, asking if he would repay those who were scammed. He has not suggested he intends to do so.

Total loss estimated at $438,000.

Technical Details

Initial Attack Vector
Smart contract exploit / hack
Vendor / Product
Beeple Twitter

Timeline

  1. 2022-05-22 Breach occurred
  2. 2022-05-22 Publicly disclosed