Cointelegraph Hit by Front-End Exploit, Fake Phishing Airdrop Pop Up on Website

What to know:

Crypto media outlet Cointelegraph has confirmed its website was compromised by a front-end exploit on Sunday, with attackers injecting a malicious pop-up that falsely claimed to offer “CoinTelegraph ICO Airdrops” and “CTG tokens.”

The fake banner urged readers to connect their crypto wallets in exchange for nearly $5,500 worth of tokens, citing a “fair launch” event and a bogus CertiK audit to lend legitimacy to the scam.

“Do not click on these pop-ups, connect your wallets, or enter any personal information,” Cointelegraph warned in a post on X, adding that it was “actively working on a fix.”

🚨 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 informationWe are actively working on a fix.

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 23, 2025

Victims are typically tricked into connecting wallets for token claims, identity verification, or loyalty rewards — only to have their funds siphoned immediately after.

The tactic mirrors a nearly identical exploit on  CoinMarketCap two days earlier , where attackers embedded similar code to serve wallet phishing prompts.

In both cases, the attack relied on hijacking trusted platforms to bypass user skepticism — turning news and data sites into unwitting vectors for wallet drainers.