Witness Chain Official Discord Hack Phishing
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Witness Chain and the DePin Coordination Layer enable finding, sharing, and using blockchain assets in the best way possible, even across multiple chains. On August 30th, Pankaj Agarwal noted and reported that the official Discord server for the project had been breached. The server was restored within an hour. Despite mentions of malicious links being posted, there are no indications that any funds were lost.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
About Witness Chain
"Unification of DePIN unlocks a shared & collaborative economy for siloed physical infrastructure assets like compute, networks, storage, energy, etc. This is achieved through a unified, trust-free, de-centralized workflow to verify their physical attributes and converted it into digital proofs on the blockchain."
"The [Witness Chain] DePIN coordination layer (DCL) is a unification layer that translates unverified physical attributes of DePIN (De-centralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) networks into measured, verifiable digital proofs. These proofs can later be attested/challenged and consumed by different apps or DePIN chains themselves to build new products and services."
"Sharing state information can enable the development of new services and products on top of the DePIN assets. DePIN projects can achieve better discoverability, bootstrap their economy and get access to a wide range of financial instruments."
"Sharing state information allows apps to have a real-time view of the resources available across the network. This visibility enables optimal allocation of tasks based on resource availability, reducing wastage and improving the efficiency of resource utilization for the DePIN assets."
"Access to comprehensive state information enables providers to identify trends and patterns, which can drive innovation. App builders can develop new services or improve existing ones based on the insights gained from the shared data."
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 Witness Chain Discord [was] hacked."
| Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| August 30th, 2024 2:35:00 AM MDT | Pankaj Agarwal Tweet | Pankaj Agarwal, one of the developers of the Witness Chain, reports that the official Discord is hacked and advises users to avoid clicking any links in the Discord. They are working on recovering the Discord. |
| August 30th, 2024 3:51:00 AM MDT | Recovered And Fixed | The Discord server is reported to be recovered and fixed. |
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
"PSA @witnesschain discord server has been hacked, please do not click on any links posted there! We're working to recover it!"
"The official Witness Chain Discord has been hacked. Please do not click on any links until the situation is resolved."
Ultimate Outcome
"The server has been recovered and fixed!"
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 (Accessed Sep 25, 2024)
- ↑ @Shankusu993 Twitter (Accessed Sep 26, 2024)
- ↑ @Shankusu993 Twitter (Accessed Sep 26, 2024)
- ↑ Witness Chain Watchtowers (Accessed Sep 26, 2024)
- ↑ Introduction to Witness Chain | Witness Chain (Accessed Sep 26, 2024)
- ↑ @witnesschain Twitter (Accessed Sep 26, 2024)