Crypto News Site Cointelegraph Hacked in Fraudulent Token Scam

By José Oramas June 24, 2025 In Cointelegraph, Hackers, Scams

Source:AdobeStock

Cointelegraph was hit by a front-end exploit through its ad infrastructure, displaying fake pop-ups for a bogus “CTG” token airdrop to steal wallets and personal data.
The phishing scam mimicked a real airdrop using fake audit data and visual branding, exploiting user trust in Cointelegraph to lure victims into connecting wallets.
The breach mirrors recent attacks across several reputable websites.

Cointelegraph users were hit with a deceptive front-end exploit over the weekend that used a fake token giveaway to target wallets, leveraging the site’s own branding to add credibility.

The malicious pop-up claimed visitors had been selected to receive 50,000 “CTG” tokens, supposedly worth nearly US$5,500 (AU$8,506) as part of a fabricated “fair launch” campaign, encouraging users to connect their wallets and using fake audit references and doctored price data to reinforce the illusion.

The entire setup mimicked a legitimate airdrop, even down to the layout and visual identity and everything.

How it Unfolded

The exploit didn’t come from Cointelegraph’s main systems, according to security researchers. The attackers gained access through a third-party advertising integration, slipping in rogue JavaScript code via the site’s ad infrastructure.

Cointelegraph acknowledged the attack Sunday night, issuing a warning to avoid wallet connections or any interaction with pop-ups.

🚨 ALERT: We are aware of a fraudulent pop-up falsely claiming to offer “CoinTelegraph ICO Airdrops” or “CTG tokens” that are appearing on our site.

DO NOT:
– Click on these pop-ups
– Connect your wallets
– Enter any personal information

We are actively working on a fix.
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 23, 2025

The attack is similar to the incident that hit CoinMarketCap just days earlier, where attackers used similar techniques to stage a fake giveaway through injected front-end scripts. The parallel timing suggests a coordinated shift in phishing tactics, which is now more toward compromised ad networks on real sites.

These attacks exploit user trust in recognised platforms (even I believed it), therefore blending real branding with social engineering and compromised ad channels.

Even high-traffic crypto websites are proving vulnerable at the supply chain edge. Recall that a few days ago, a massive security data breach leaked over 16 billion login credentials for Facebook, Google, Telegram, and more, as per a report by Cybernews.