January 12, 2024 at 04:05PM
Hyundai MEA’s social media account was briefly taken over to distribute cryptocurrency promotions, with the account impersonating a role-playing game backed by Binance’s venture capital arm. The takeover resulted in changed text and images, promoting registration for cryptocurrency offers. Hyundai MEA regained control and removed the offending posts. Netgear and Google’s cybersecurity operation also faced similar incidents.
Based on the meeting notes, it appears that the social media account for Hyundai MEA was taken over to distribute cryptocurrency promotions. The account on X (formerly Twitter) was briefly changed to impersonate the role-playing game Overworld, which is backed by the venture capital and incubator arm for the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. During the takeover, text and images on Hyundai MEA’s X account were altered, with posts offering registration to claim “btc domains” and promoting the “BRC launchpad,” where the first 1,000 people to sign up would receive $100,000. It is unclear how long the attackers had control of the X account, and whether any direct messages were sent during that time. Hyundai MEA was able to regain control of its X account and remove the offending posts. Additionally, Netgear was also taken over to promote the same cryptocurrency registration, and it was noted that Google’s cybersecurity operation at Mandiant temporarily lost control of its X account to cryptocurrency drainer malware operators on January 3. Overworld is frequently targeted for impersonation in similar scams and warns users to “stay clear of those impersonating our account.”