Jason Yanowitz, the co-founder of Blockworks, recently announced on social media that he had been a victim of a crypto hack. Yanowitz shared details of the incident in hopes of helping others avoid similar attacks.
Despite having a strong security setup, Yanowitz’s account was successfully hacked after numerous attempts by the perpetrator. He had received notifications of attempted logins on his email, Twitter, and crypto accounts over the past few weeks. Thanks to his two-factor authentication (2FA), these attempts were unsuccessful. However, when he received an email stating that a login attempt had been made on his X account from North Cyprus, he clicked on a link to “secure” his account. This turned out to be a phishing attempt and his email address was changed, giving the hacker access to his account.
Yanowitz learned a few key takeaways from this experience that he believes the public should be aware of. He advises against clicking on links, and if necessary, to carefully review the email address. He also emphasizes the importance of setting up 2FA for all accounts and encourages victims of hacking to slow down and consider how the attack was possible.
Unfortunately, Yanowitz is not the only high-profile individual or brand to fall victim to hacking. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was recently hacked just hours before giving approval for spot Bitcoin ETFs. In this case, the hacker even spread false information about the approval. Additionally, Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse has warned his followers about deepfake scam videos on YouTube after a cloned video of him was circulated online. These incidents serve as a reminder for individuals and brands to remain vigilant and continue to strengthen their security measures to protect against potential hacks.
