CoinTelegraph TELEGRAPH PACKY Fake Tokens Launched

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CoinTelegraph Logo/Homepage

Cointelegraph is a leading independent digital media outlet specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. On March 23, 2024, its official X/Twitter account was compromised—likely via credential theft or social engineering—to promote fake Solana-based tokens ($TELEGRAPH and $PACKY). The attack leveraged the outlet’s trusted status to spread scam content before the account was swiftly recovered, though no public restitution or post-mortem has been provided.

About CoinTelegraph

Founded in 2013, Cointelegraph is a privately held company specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. Cointelegraph is a leading independent digital media outlet. It delivers daily news, in-depth analysis, and educational content across various topics, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3. The platform is recognized for its comprehensive coverage, featuring expert opinions, price charts, and reports on the social impact of digital currencies.

Headquartered in the United States, Cointelegraph has expanded its presence internationally, with teams in over 30 countries. The company publishes more than 1,000 articles monthly and offers a range of resources, such as a mobile app, video content, and educational materials like "Cryptopedia" . Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.

In addition to its U.S. headquarters, Cointelegraph has expanded its global presence with offices in various countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.

About $TELEGRAM Token Offering

"Cointelegraph launched it's own coin $TELEGRAPH in partnership with @daomaker. Pre-Sale is live: Hardcap: 33,333 SOL (SPL) Offering Style: Oversubscription. Min Deposit: 0.5 SOL"

The Reality

Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.

This breach may indicate weaknesses in the account’s access controls, security monitoring, or incident response procedures, which allowed the attacker to maintain control long enough to disseminate deceptive content before the account was secured.

What Happened

Cointelegraph’s X/Twitter account was hacked to promote a fake token pre-sale involving $TELEGRAPH and $PACKY on the Solana blockchain.

Key Event Timeline - CoinTelegraph TELEGRAPH PACKY Fake Tokens Launched

Date	Event	Description
March 20th, 2024 11:26:23 AM MDT	PACKY Smart Contract Created	The $PACKY smart contract is created. This is believed to be prior to the incident.
March 23rd, 2024 7:56:30 AM MDT	First Funding Of $TELEGRAPH	The first funding of the $TELEGRAM smart contract on the Solana blockchain.
March 23rd, 2024 8:11:00 AM MDT	First Mention Of Compromise	The first mention of the compromise can be found on Twitter/X, along with a screenshot of the content.
March 23rd, 2024 8:25:00 AM MDT	PACKY Token Offering	The CoinTelegraph account is believed to have posted the PACKY token, which is reportedly convertible to the TELEGRAPH token.
March 23rd, 2024 8:35:00 AM MDT	Account Compromise Warning	BSCNews posts a quick tweet to notify that the CoinTelegraph Twitter/X account appears to be compromised.
March 23rd, 2024 8:45:00 AM MDT	BSCN News Article	BSCN News reports that the official X/Twitter account of blockchain media company Cointelegraph was hacked on Sunday, March 23rd, resulting in malicious posts promoting a fake $TELEGRAPH token pre-sale and misleading content related to Solana’s Raydium protocol. Users are warned not to engage with these posts or links. Cointelegraph has not yet issued a statement explaining the breach. This incident follows a previous issue in October 2023, when a false tweet about a Bitcoin ETF approval caused significant market disruption.

Technical Details

The exploit involved unauthorized access to Cointelegraph’s official X/Twitter account, likely achieved through credential compromise or social engineering techniques targeting account management controls. Once the attacker gained access, they were able to bypass multi-factor authentication (if enabled) or exploit session management vulnerabilities to post malicious tweets. These tweets included fraudulent announcements promoting a fake cryptocurrency token ($TELEGRAPH). The attack leveraged the trusted status of the verified account to spread misinformation and potentially execute phishing or scam operations.

Contract Address $TELEGRAM: 2Lj7b4hCvv7fUsx56k2M7r8UKYsDWJGCAwCg7azdNaeV

Contract Address $PACKY: mw3LR155fQJiRKjm3oeXQN8NB7BoF2BBbC9s1RjmDbN

Total Amount Lost

There are limited specific details about the amount lost.

The total amount lost is unknown.

Immediate Reactions

The community reacted swiftly and vocally to the Cointelegraph X/Twitter account compromise. Influencers and media outlets such as BSCNews, BSCN Headlines, and The Cryptonomist France quickly confirmed the hack, urging followers to stay cautious. Users like @cuongtran2024 and @pcaversaccio warned others not to engage with the malicious posts, particularly those involving suspicious Solana wallet addresses.

Ultimate Outcome

Cointelegraph reportedly regained control of its account shortly thereafter. No official post-mortem or restitution plan has been issued by Cointelegraph as of now.

Total Amount Recovered

There does not appear to be any attempt to assist any users who may have been affected by the incident.

There do not appear to have been any funds recovered in this case.

Ongoing Developments

The incident highlights a growing trend of social engineering in crypto-related cyberattacks, emphasizing the urgent need for vigilance, two-factor authentication, and skepticism toward unexpected links—even from trusted sources.

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.