THORChain Co-Founder Loses $1.35M in Sophisticated Deepfake Scam

A THORChain co-founder fell victim to a multi-stage cyberheist, losing approximately $1.35 million in cryptocurrency. Attackers compromised an associate's Telegram account, lured the victim into a fake Zoom meeting, and subsequently accessed stored private keys through iCloud Keychain and browser profile vulnerabilities.

Blockchain investigators traced the stolen funds on-chain, with initial estimates pegging losses at $1.2 million before revised calculations reached $1.35 million. The incident highlights critical security vulnerabilities in software wallet storage, as the theft occurred without requiring transaction authorization—malware simply extracted the keys directly.

Analysts have identified potential connections to North Korean-linked hacking groups, though official attribution remains pending. The crypto community continues to debate security implications for high-net-worth individuals in decentralized ecosystems.