I’ve been diving into the recent hacks hitting crypto platforms via Discord, and it’s pretty wild. These incidents are not just your run-of-the-mill hacks; they’re directly putting users’ funds at risk. Orderly Network, Polygon, and Witness Chain are just a few that have had their official Discord channels compromised. Hackers are getting in and pushing phishing links that drain unsuspecting users’ wallets. It’s a whole new level of ‘be careful where you click.’

What Happened?

Take Orderly Network for example. Just two days after launching their ORDER token, their Discord gets hacked. The hacker posts a fake airdrop link, and boom—people are getting phished left and right. Thankfully, the team was quick to warn everyone on other platforms to hold off on clicking anything until they sorted it out.

Then there’s Polygon, where one poor soul lost $150K worth of ETH because they clicked the wrong link. The CISO there suggested it might be a bot or integration breach instead of compromised moderators—so even the people running these servers aren’t always safe from getting duped.

Witness Chain’s Discord got hit too, marking five crypto companies falling victim in just one month! At least in this case, the server was recovered within an hour. But still—how many times do we need to see this before people start being more careful?

What Can Be Done?

So what’s being done about it? Well, some platforms are taking steps to secure their servers post-hack. This includes disabling external bots (which is smart—why add another layer of potential compromise?) and doing thorough security reviews.

But honestly, how many times do we need to say it? Users need to educate themselves better on these things. It’s always the same story: don’t click random links, verify everything before you act on it, use burner wallets for any sketchy interactions…

And new crypto platforms? Yeah, they’re especially vulnerable since they often lack the experience or resources to defend against such attacks effectively.

User Responsibility

At the end of the day though, it’s up to us as users too. We need to keep our devices updated and use good antivirus software (because malware can steal private keys). Avoid public Wi-Fi when dealing with crypto—seriously! And if you must use it, at least get a VPN.

People also need to manage their own private keys better! Stop sharing them! And don’t forget about mnemonic seeds—those should be kept super secret!

In short: while these hacks show how insecure some platforms can be (and how even popular ones aren’t immune), they also show how crucial user vigilance is in this space. If you’re not paying attention or doing your due diligence… well then good luck out there.

The author does not own or have any interest in the securities discussed in the article.