In Latest OpenSea Exploit, Hackers Target NFT Owners on Discord

A phishing attack on OpenSea’s Discord server led some users to click scam links

May 6, 2022 11:59 am

Source: Shutterstock

key takeaways

OpenSea’s marketplace was not directly affected
The scam website was not very sophisticated and losses appear to be minimal

The OpenSea Discord server was compromised by scammers early Friday, according to chat records.

Fake announcements about a partnership with YouTube directed OpenSea community members to a phishing website as scammers sought to trick NFT connoisseurs into minting a new NFT (non-fungible token) series that doesn’t actually exist. Instead, transactions on the suspect site authorized the transfer of NFTs from users’ wallets.

OpenSea confirmed the reports via their official Twitter support account.

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The scam messages pointed users to a suspicious website, YouTubeNFT.art, which according to domain records, was registered today with discount domain registrar NameCheap.

Members of the OpenSea Discord community quickly sounded the alarm, and moderators removed the offending announcement channel, as well as a compromised chatbot — but not before some users were taken by the scam.

An apparent vulnerability in the server’s webhooks connection was to blame, according to community members, who also identified the wallet address receiving stolen NFTs. About $20,000 worth of NFTs were transferred to the wallet as of 10:00 am ET, indicating the damage was limited.

OpenSea said fewer than 10 community members were affected.

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Other recent attempts to steal NFTs from unsuspecting users have been more successful, including one last month which targeted Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT holders and managed to nab $10 million worth of the tokens.

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