Decentraland Official Twitter Account Compromise

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Decentraland Logo/Homepage

Decentraland is a decentralized game where players can interact with each other. On September 18th, the Twitter account of Decentralized was hacked and started posting phishing links. Multiple users warned each other, however many still fell for the phishing attack. Decentraland has made clear they are not going to assist users who were affected.

About Decentraland

"Decentraland is a world built by YOU where the only limit is your imagination."

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

"The official X account of the metaverse project Decentraland has been hacked. The hacker has posted a fake phishing link. Please avoid interacting with it."

Key Event Timeline - Decentraland Official Twitter Account Compromise

Date	Event	Description
September 18th, 2024 5:45:00 PM MDT	First Twitter Reports	SinfulMeatStick and Facemoons are the first to report that the Twitter account was hacked and warns users against interacting with the website!
September 19th, 2024 10:28:00 AM MDT	Decentraland Regains Access	Decentraland reports that they have regained access to the Twitter account. They thank "everyone for all of your work to keep one another safe".
September 19th, 2024 3:57:00 PM MDT	Decentraland Notice Posted	Decentraland posts a notice explaining what happened. They admit to falling for a login activity phishing email.
September 25th, 2024 10:06:00 AM MDT	Not Offering Any Compensation	A user shares a post where it's made clear that Decentraland is not offering any compensation.

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

"On 09/18/2024, our official @decentraland X account was compromised. The hacker gained access to post, read, and send DMs under our brand."

"- We received a phishing email disguised as X (Twitter) support, with fake login attempts.

- In an effort to protect the account, we clicked to change the password however, it was a phishing attack.

- The hacker gave @yeray284 delegation access to the account to post."

"- Notified the community across Discord, Reddit, and Telegram, and personal social accounts.

- Submitted support tickets and contacted people at Twitter to restore our account.

- Changed passwords & enabled new 2FA across all accounts as a precaution.

- Removed devices from all social accounts.

- Engaged legal to enforce takedowns."

"- We'll continue monitoring the situation.

- We're improving our internal security measures across all platforms.

- Adjusting our protocols and contact lists to ensure everyone learns from this incident."

Ultimate Outcome

"Yesterday, this account was compromised.

Thanks to the quick action of our team and community, the issue has been resolved."

Total Amount Recovered

The total amount recovered is unknown.

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.