Users who visited the Cointelegraph website on Sunday were met with a deceptive pop-up claiming they had won token rewards. The pop-up message, disguised as a legitimate Cointelegraph promotion, informed visitors that they had been randomly selected to receive 50,000 “CTG” tokens, valued at over $5,000. The offer appeared polished and convincing, featuring the company’s branding and interface elements that closely mimicked real airdrop campaigns. It even included a countdown timer and prompts to connect crypto wallets, which are standard elements in genuine token distribution efforts. However, the entire experience was fabricated by attackers.
A similar front-end attack was also observed on CoinMarketCap over the weekend. Scam Sniffer, a blockchain security firm, flagged the breach and issued a public alert, warning that Cointelegraph’s frontend had been compromised. The firm tweeted screenshots of the injected code and the fake airdrop interface, cautioning users to be vigilant. The scam was likely orchestrated to deceive users into granting wallet permissions, potentially allowing hackers to drain funds.
Cointelegraph later confirmed the breach and issued a warning to users, urging them not to engage with the fraudulent pop-up. The company clarified that it has never issued a “CTG” token or conducted an initial coin offering. They assured readers that a fix was already in progress.
According to Scam Sniffer, the malicious JavaScript code originated from the site’s advertising system rather than its core infrastructure. The code, served via Cointelegraph’s ad partner, contained wallet-draining scripts disguised as standard ad delivery code. This tactic has become increasingly common as attackers exploit vulnerabilities in trusted platforms’ third-party systems.
The fake CTG token mentioned in the scam does not exist on major exchanges or blockchains like CoinMarketCap or CoinGecko. This lack of presence on reputable platforms serves as a red flag for potential victims. Similar breaches have been reported across the crypto space, underscoring the importance of stringent auditing of third-party integrations and robust sandboxing of external content. As more crypto companies rely on external ad services, their vulnerability to such attacks increases significantly.
In conclusion, the recent cyberattacks on Cointelegraph and CoinMarketCap highlight the evolving tactics of scammers in the cryptocurrency space. Users are advised to exercise caution when encountering suspicious pop-ups or offers, especially on trusted websites. Vigilance and awareness are crucial in safeguarding against such fraudulent schemes.