Sandbox Game Nicola Sebastiani Twitter Hacked
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The Sandbox Game is a metaverse block building game. One member of the Sandbox Game's team named Nicola Sebastiani suddenly posted an announcement giving away free $SAND to all followers. Unfortunately, this was not a real offer and they had instead had their Twitter account hacked. It is unclear what the website attempted to do to users who signed up or if any funds were lost through this attack.[1][2][3][4][5]
About The Sandbox Game
"Play together, create anything, and own virtual land. Let’s build a whole new world together."
"Create an account for free and get your NFT" "Discover new experiences and make friends along the way. Go on epic quests, attend concerts, visit art galleries, and more. Express yourself through avatars and mingle across the metaverse in style!" "Whether you want to build unique experiences or design voxel-based NFTs, our creative tools can help bring your imagination to life in the metaverse. Own everything you create and sell your best work in the marketplace!" "Buy LAND and turn it into a space where culture and creativity can thrive. Showcase your creations, feature great games, host events, and more. Join the movement and lead the way in shaping the metaverse!"
About Nicola Sebastiani
"Attention Sandbox Community."
"With the recent amount of overwhelming support we have decided to allocate some $SAND to the @TheSandboxGame community!"
"All followers have the right to claim their allocation of the $SAND airdrop."
The Reality
This sections is included if a case involved deception or information that was unknown at the time. Examples include:
- When the service was actually started (if different than the "official story").
- Who actually ran a service and their own personal history.
- How the service was structured behind the scenes. (For example, there was no "trading bot".)
- Details of what audits reported and how vulnerabilities were missed during auditing.
What Happened
"Sebastiani, co-founder of The Sandbox, posted on X platform that one of The Sandbox team members was hacked and his Twitter account used to send SCAM tweets and DMs, disguised as if these were official."
| Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| May 26th, 2024 8:29:00 PM MDT | Malicious Tweet Posted | Malicious promotional tweets directing users to the fake sandbox airdrop site are posted, according to Nicola's timezone being based in Paris, France, and the timestamp of the captured Tweet. |
| May 26th, 2024 8:59:00 PM MDT | Warning Tweet Posted | An initial warning tweet is posted by Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget. The first version of the Tweet talks about a Sanbox employee's email account being hacked and used to send scam email messages. |
| May 26th, 2024 9:00:00 PM MDT | Tweet Edit | The tweet is modified to reflect that Twitter was hacked and not email, and remove the reference to the team member as an employee. |
| May 26th, 2024 9:09:00 PM MDT | Tweet Edit | The tweet is modified to reflect that Twitter is used to end Tweets and DMs, not emails. |
Technical Details
This section includes specific detailed technical analysis of any security breaches which happened. What specific software vulnerabilities contributed to the problem and how were they exploited?
Total Amount Lost
The total amount lost is unknown.
How much was lost and how was it calculated? If there are conflicting reports, which are accurate and where does the discrepancy lie?
Immediate Reactions
"Important! One of The Sandbox @TheSandboxGame team members was hacked & his Twitter/X account used to send SCAM tweets and DMs, disguised as if these were official"
"Do not click on any links and report it as "SPAM" or "PHISHING" directly"
Ultimate Outcome
What was the end result? Was any investigation done? Were any individuals prosecuted? Was there a lawsuit? Was any tracing done?
Total Amount Recovered
There do not appear to have been any funds recovered in this case.
What funds were recovered? What funds were reimbursed for those affected users?
Ongoing Developments
What parts of this case are still remaining to be concluded?
Individual Prevention Policies
No specific policies for individual prevention have yet been identified in this case.
For the full list of how to protect your funds as an individual, check our Prevention Policies for Individuals guide.
Platform Prevention Policies
Policies for platforms to take to prevent this situation have not yet been selected in this case.
For the full list of how to protect your funds as a financial service, check our Prevention Policies for Platforms guide.
Regulatory Prevention Policies
No specific regulatory policies have yet been identified in this case.
For the full list of regulatory policies that can prevent loss, check our Prevention Policies for Regulators guide.
References
- ↑ SlowMist Hacked - SlowMist Zone (Jun 12, 2024)
- ↑ @borgetsebastien Twitter (Jun 13, 2024)
- ↑ @borgetsebastien Twitter (Jun 13, 2024)
- ↑ @borgetsebastien Twitter (Jun 13, 2024)
- ↑ The Sandbox Game — User-Generated Crypto & Blockchain Games (Jun 13, 2024)