Crypto scammers deface Trump campaign website one week from elections

Published at: Oct. 28, 2020

One of United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign websites was briefly defaced yesterday, according to an Oct. 28 article on TechCrunch.

Hackers managed to replace donaldjtrump.com’s usual campaign rhetoric and request for donations with a spoof of the FBI’s “This site has been seized” message.

The unknown attackers claimed to have obtained “strictly classified information” and encouraged people to essentially vote on whether they wanted the data released, using payments to two Monero wallets.

Among the insider information reportedly on offer was evidence discrediting Trump as president and connecting his government to “the origin of the coronavirus.” There is no evidence to suggest that the individuals involved possess any such information. 

The website contained no sensitive data, according to Trump’s campaign communications director, Tim Murtaugh, who confirmed the attack in a tweet.

Earlier this evening, the Trump campaign website was defaced and we are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack. There was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site. The website has been restored.

— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) October 28, 2020

Trump recently claimed that “nobody gets hacked,” just days before having his Twitter account hacked by a Dutch researcher who claimed he guessed the password as “maga2020” on his fifth attempt.

The cryptocurrency world is eagerly watching the U.S. presidential election race and wondering how the results could potentially affect the price of Bitcoin and other tokens.

Tags
Related Posts
Law Decoded: Governments vs. blockchain privacy, Sept. 4-11
Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Editor’s note One of the most persistent myths about Bitcoin is its supposed anonymity. More properly termed pseudonymity, BTC wallets are permanently tied to their public keys. Most of you know that. But it took government investigators years of trying to corral Bitcoin transactions on dark web marketplaces like the Silk Road to figure that out. Now, however, blockchain analysis is a growing industry, catering to a range of clients including many of the most shadowy of government agencies. This was …
Regulation / Sept. 11, 2020
A Hacker is Attempting to Sell a Las Vegas Hotel Database for Crypto
The MGM Resort suffered a massive data breach in 2019 that left 142 million hotel guests exposed. A hacker is now selling the stolen database for roughly $2,900. According to the information revealed by ZDNet, a dark web marketplace claims that data from 142,479,937 MGM hotel guests are on sale. Preferred payment is denominated in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). MGM Resorts confirmed the data breach, stating that they’re aware of the scope of this previously reported incident from 2019. No financial data was leaked However, according to the research, the cybercriminal did not leak any sensitive data from the …
Technology / July 14, 2020
Celebrities May Have Their Dirty Secrets Exposed if Crypto Ransom Is Unpaid
The REvil ransomware gang says that they will auction over 1TB of data stolen from New York-based entertainment law firm, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks. This data allegedly contains the “dirty” secrets of a number of celebrities. REvil claims that the contents involve sex scandals, drugs, and treachery. Nicki Minaj, LeBron James, and Mariah Carey among the alleged victims In a blog post, the ransomware group says they will begin the auction on July 1, noting that the first round will contain information from Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, and LeBron James. The price for each dataset is $600,000. Two days …
Technology / June 24, 2020
Major Argentine Telecom Falls Victim to $7.5M Monero Ransomware Attack
Telecom, Argentina's largest telecommunications company, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack. Hackers are demanding $7.5 million in Monero (XMR) — an amount that will rise to $15 million if the company does not pay within 48 hours. Argentina's major telephone company, Telecom, just got hacked. Hackers requesting a ransom of $7.5 million in Monero. $XMR pic.twitter.com/AGNvAXh1cg — Alex Krüger (@krugermacro) July 19, 2020 According to El Tribuno, the ransomware attack, which specifically affected Telecom’s call center, took place on July 18. The ransomware was ultimately contained by the Argentinian conglomerate’s IT workers. In a statement issued to local media …
Technology / July 20, 2020
Watch Out for This Cryptojacking Botnet That Steals Data From Its Victims
The threat intelligence team at Cisco Systems discovered a new cryptojacking botnet named “Prometei.” This botnet both mines Monero (XMR) and steals data from the targeted system. According to the paper sent to Cointelegraph, the botnet has been active since May. It relies on 15 executable modules to recover administrator passwords from the infected computer. Password validity is verified by sending them to a control server connected to other networks. Once the malware has obtained access to the user’s administrative rights, it proceeds to record all data contained within the system. Cisco Talos estimates this botnet may contain up to …
Technology / July 22, 2020