In recent months there have been cases of hacking with regard to Twitter and profiles related to cryptocurrencies.
One of the most sensational cases in this context is the one he saw as the protagonist Vitalik Buterinnone other than the creator of Ethereum.
Beyond the high-sounding name, what surprised many was the fact that Vitalik is anything but naive. We are talking about a person who is usually rigorously involved in cybersecurity. His case, therefore, serves as a warning to anyone: when it comes to cyberattacks, no one is completely safe.
How did they manage to deceive a person who was theoretically so knowledgeable on the topic? According to Vitalik himself, the attack falls within the context of SIM swap.
Vitalik Buterin was hit by a SIM swap attack
The SIM swap attack involves hackers tricking a mobile operator into transferring a victim’s phone number to a new SIM card in their possession.
This effectively gives cybercriminals control over the victim’s phone number, allowing them to bypass two-factor authentication security measures and gain access to various accounts linked to that number.
In this case the hackers used Vitalik Buterin’s number to reset his password on Twitter and thus gain access to your account and 4.9 million followers. This breach allowed them to run a scam giveaway NFTleading followers to click on a malicious link that drained their wallets.
How to avoid this type of threat
Remove phone numbers from the accounts of social media it is a first step in securing a telephone number, even if it is not used fortwo-factor authentication. Furthermore, adopting 2FA is a further barrier that can be built between cybercriminals.
Adopt a antivirus adequate, both on desktop PC and mobile, is obviously almost obligatory. Keeping software and operating systems up to date can help further reduce risks. Finally, use unique and strong passwords can make life even more difficult for hackers in the event of an attack.