Microsoft’s X Account Hijacked to Promote Clippy Meme Coin

On Thursday, Microsoft’s authoritative X relationship began making astonishing moves, including pursuing an relationship promoting an unofficial meme coin inspired by the MSFT banal ticker and Clippy—Microsoft’s paperclip adjunct that bounced astir aboriginal editions of Office. It past reposted 1 of the account’s tweets, and changed its ain illustration representation to Clippy.

The posts were removed and an apology tweet appeared astir 30 minutes later—and that was deleted astir arsenic quickly, though radical were capable to drawback a screenshot of it. Microsoft confirmed the breach subsequently to The Verge, saying:

We person confirmed unauthorized entree to our relationship connected X, including posts that did not travel from Microsoft. The relationship has been secured and the unauthorized posts person been removed, and we are continuing to analyse the circumstances.

It’s unclear wherefore Microsoft deleted its lengthy apology tweet, but it covered a fewer cardinal points:

• Microsoft said it ne'er authorized anyone to beforehand a token utilizing its intelligence property, including Clippy.
• It plans to prosecute ineligible enactment to person the token and associated selling removed.
• Its existent MSFT ticker has thing to bash with immoderate token carrying a akin name, which gives holders nary ownership rights successful Microsoft Corporation.

The token successful question trades arsenic CLIPPY, and an X relationship called Clippy MSFT has been one of its louder promoters, talking up liquidity pools reportedly worthy implicit $200,000. Some promoters besides claimed the pools were backed by existent Microsoft shares. That assertion, however, has not been verified—and adjacent if true, there’s nary authoritative Microsoft link.

A Bigger Target successful a Familiar Playbook

This is not the archetypal clip crypto scammers person utilized a Microsoft account. In 2024, attackers hijacked Microsoft India’s X account, which had much than 211,000 followers, to impersonate viral GameStop trader Keith “Roaring Kitty” Gill and propulsion a fake Gamestop token presale built to drain wallets.

The hijack fits a signifier that has been climbing the ladder each year. In July, attackers took implicit Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev’s X account to beforehand a fake token called Vladhood, falsely billed arsenic the authoritative Robinhood Chain mascot.

Ten days earlier that, an seemingly hacked account linked to Elon Musk’s SpaceX promoted a meme coin that was past shared by Starlink’s also-compromised X account. That token reached a $2 cardinal marketplace headdress earlier crashing to zero.