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Hackers breached the Delhi Capitals X account, taking control of the popular cricket franchise’s social media presence to advertise a scam token. The Delhi Capitals, a franchise competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), boasts over 2.6 million followers on X (formerly Twitter). The hackers used this significant follower base to promote a fraudulent Solana-based token with the ticker HACKER.
This breach is part of a growing trend in which high-profile X accounts are hijacked to pump scam crypto tokens. In the now-deleted posts, the hackers brazenly claimed responsibility for the attack and outlined their strategy to manipulate the price of the HACKER token.
“We hack accounts on each account the token address will be posted and the token will pump,” the hackers stated in their message, illustrating a classic pump-and-dump scheme.
The takeover of the Delhi Capitals X account followed a familiar pattern in the world of crypto scams. The attackers used the platform to promote the HACKER token, urging followers to search for “$HACKER” and participate in the scheme. The hackers continued to post messages promoting the token, including its contract address, in an attempt to lure in unsuspecting investors looking for a quick profit.
While the attackers claimed that the token would “pump,” their efforts largely failed. At the time of writing, the HACKER token had a market cap of just $4,300 and had only been involved in 46 transactions, most of which appeared to be conducted by the scammers themselves. According to data from DEX screener, the token had been created a little over a day before the hack.
This attack on the Delhi Capitals X account is another example of how fraudsters exploit the large follower bases of popular social media accounts to manipulate the crypto market.
The strategy employed by the hackers who breached the Delhi Capitals X account is common in crypto pump-and-dump schemes. These scams typically involve fraudsters inflating the price of a token through artificial hype and misinformation. Once the price reaches a certain level, the scammers sell off their pre-acquired tokens, leaving investors who rushed in for a quick profit at a loss.
“This type of attack preys on the trust followers place in prominent accounts,” said John Murphy, a cybersecurity analyst. “By hijacking high-profile X accounts like that of Delhi Capitals, scammers are able to gain access to a large audience quickly, making their pump-and-dump schemes more effective.”
Murphy added that these schemes are often short-lived but can cause significant financial harm to those who fall victim to them. In the case of the Delhi Capitals X account, the scheme didn’t seem to gain much traction, but it highlights the vulnerabilities that exist in social media platforms when it comes to account security.
The attack on the Delhi Capitals X account isn’t an isolated incident. In recent months, several high-profile X accounts have fallen victim to similar breaches. On September 4, the X accounts of Lara and Tiffany Trump were hacked to promote a fake token related to a fictional decentralized finance project called World Liberty Financial, falsely linked to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Just days before that, French soccer star Kylian Mbappé had his X account hijacked, with attackers promoting a scam token dubbed MBAPPE. Like the breach of the Delhi Capitals X account, these attacks followed the same pump-and-dump formula, using large follower bases to promote fraudulent tokens.
“It’s a growing issue, and platforms like X need to take immediate action to enhance their security measures,” said cybersecurity expert Lisa Taylor. “These attacks not only undermine the integrity of the affected accounts but also erode trust in the platform as a whole.”
Following the breach of the Delhi Capitals X account, the team’s management acted quickly to regain control of the account and remove the fraudulent posts. While the attackers managed to post multiple messages promoting the HACKER token, the team successfully deleted the content before it could gain widespread attention.
Although the incident seems to have been contained relatively quickly, it serves as a reminder of the importance of robust security protocols for public-facing social media accounts, especially those with large follower bases.
“We are taking this matter very seriously and are working closely with the platform to ensure that our account remains secure going forward,” a Delhi Capitals spokesperson said in a statement. The team also advised its followers to be cautious of any suspicious posts and not to engage with any offers related to the HACKER token.
The repeated targeting of high-profile accounts like the Delhi Capitals X account raises questions about the security measures in place on social media platforms. While X has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the rise in account hijackings, there is mounting pressure for the platform to improve its security features, particularly for accounts with large follower bases that are attractive targets for hackers.
“These types of breaches are becoming more frequent, and social media companies need to invest more in protecting their users from such attacks,” cybersecurity analyst Lisa Taylor said. “This isn’t just about protecting individual accounts, but also about safeguarding the broader crypto ecosystem from fraudulent activity.”
The breach of the Delhi Capitals X account is part of a troubling trend in which hackers exploit high-profile social media accounts to promote scam crypto tokens. While the attack failed to gain significant traction in this case, it highlights the need for enhanced security measures on platforms like X. As pump-and-dump schemes continue to proliferate in the crypto space, both investors and social media users must remain vigilant against fraudulent activities.
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