Hackers have long operated with a focus on attacking crypto exchanges, wallets, and other related platforms, at least since the cryptocurrency boom began. They have shown the world that evil can sometimes win and that basic and advanced security measures should be taken to safeguard such valuable digital assets.
However, the latest victim of a hacking attack was none other than Google, arguably the world’s most influential and powerful enterprise. The Internet giant, more specifically one of its associated (and verified) accounts, tweeted a message prompting users to pay between 0.1 and 2 Bitcoin (BTC) to get between 1 and 20 BTC back.
A Giveaway Scam
Google’s GSuite account (@GSuite) was the victim of hackers trying to take advantage of vulnerability and the company’s name and perform a “giveaway” scam. The message stated that Google was “giving up” 10,000 BTC to the community and also said that cryptocurrency payments were now available in GSuite.
Thanks to the quickness of a Twitter user named @B_u_r_t_o_n, a screenshot of the message is now available for people to see. The tweet was actually promoted on the account of GSuite, which functions as Google’s productivity and collaboration tools arm. The tweet, of course, was quickly erased by Google.
In a year in which numerous hacking attacks have terrorized users and investors in nearly all platforms, seeing a Google product being the victim of a takeover, albeit a short-lived one, is scary. Both Twitter and Google have confirmed that there was indeed hacking activity involved, and they stated they are looking into the matter to try and find more details about the possible authors.
Under Investigation
A Google representative, according to the site Business Insider, explained that “This morning (Wednesday) an unauthorized promoted tweet was shared from the G Suite account. We removed the tweet and are investigating with Twitter now.”
Twitter also had a say regarding the events, with a spokesperson explaining that Google’s G Suite official account was unexpectedly and “inappropriately accessed and that they would continue to closely monitor the situation.”
A Terrifying Modus Operandi
Sadly, hackers are now targeting verified accounts to perform crypto related scams. They provide cybercriminals with the familiarity weapon: people see that the account is verified and that is enough for them to take the “offer” as a legitimate one, but that is not always the case, as we could learn today.
For instance, just days ago, hackers successfully targeted accounts belonging to an American lawmaker, a film business, and a book publisher to make it pass as Elon Musk.
Even Target, a world-famous department store from the United States of America, suffered the same fate this past Tuesday. According to a tweet from the enterprise itself, their “Twitter account was inappropriately accessed. The access lasted for approx. half an hour & one fake tweet was posted during that time about a bitcoin scam. We have regained control of the account, are in close contact with Twitter & are investigating now.”
By Andres Chavez
