- Hackers compromised Migos’ 13 million-follower Instagram account to leak Solana co-founder Raj Gokal’s driver’s license and passport photos.
- Personal data, including phone numbers was posted with encouragement for followers to harass the victims.
- Incident caps week-long social engineering campaign targeting Gokal’s digital accounts across multiple platforms.
Another day, another scam attempt in crypto verse. A group of hackers attacked Solana co-founder Raj Gokal and his sensitive data was posted on the Instagram account of Migos. The post reaching the group’s 13 million followers.
The Attempt To Extort Money Failed
On Monday evening, attackers took over Migos’ verified Instagram account and turned it into a place to share private information. Seven images showing unredacted photos of Gokal’s driver’s license and passport, as well as similar documents for his wife, were published by the hackers.
The leaked data included co-founders phone number, and some posts urged followers to “spam” him. A caption on one of the images said “You should’ve paid the 40 BTC,” hinting that the attack was prompted by a failed attempt at extortion worth about $2.7 million in Bitcoins.
They also edited Gokal’s account to advertise cryptocurrency scams and included links to Telegram group discussions, which suggests a larger plan behind the harassment. During the attack, audio files were also posted as extra information.
ZachXBT pointed out that the incident was likely tied to a week of social engineering attacks on Gokal’s digital systems. On social media, the Solana executive had already revealed that bad actors were trying to break into his email, social accounts and cloud storage.
It took about 90 minutes for Instagram’s security or the account administrators to remove the compromised posts. By early Tuesday, everything related to the breach had been removed from the platform.
This situation reveals that cryptocurrency-related cybercriminals now target well-known blockchain executives for personal extortion. Using a major entertainment account as a way to spread their message shows how advanced the attackers are in trying to put pressure on their targets.
Solana Labs has not commented on the security breach or what effect it may have on the company.
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