The official X (formerly Twitter) account of EigenLayer, a restaking protocol developed by Eigen Labs, was hacked on Friday morning, leading to a series of fraudulent posts.
Eigen Labs quickly confirmed the compromise, urging users to avoid interacting with suspicious links and to verify engagements with their official website, ‘eigenlayer.xyz.’
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT also issued a warning on his Telegram channel, alerting users about the account breach and potential risks. The post says, “EigenLayer X/Twitter account is currently compromised, do not click any links.”
The hackers used the compromised account to promote a fake airdrop of EIGEN tokens, linked to Season 2 of EigenLayer’s stakeholder airdrop. According to crypto anti-scam platform Scam Sniffer, the attackers shared a malicious link disguised as a reallocation event for the tokens.
The first fake post was followed by two more, including a “final call” urging users to claim tokens. However, the actual claim period for the legitimate Season 2 stakedrop had already ended, making the posts obvious phishing attempts.
EigenLayer, which lets users stake ether to help secure third-party networks, has become popular in the crypto space. Its growing influence likely made it a target for scammers looking to exploit its user base through social media.
EigenLayer faced its second security breach since October, following an October 4 incident where a hacker stole 1.6 million EIGEN tokens, worth $5.7 million, through a compromised email thread. The team froze some funds and assured users that the incident didn’t affect the protocol’s core functionality.
This incident is part of a larger trend of social media account hacks aimed at promoting crypto scams. Other notable victims include the X accounts of celebrities like Hulk Hogan, Lara and Tiffany Trump, and Doja Cat, as well as corporate accounts like McDonald’s.
With these attacks happening more often, it’s clear that better security and user caution are needed in the crypto space.
