Crypto Developer Dodges Malware After AI Assistant Provides Phishing Link
Crypto developer Numa Lunah narrowly avoided losing control of his digital assets after falling victim to a sophisticated cyberattack.
The incident occurred when Lunah asked Claude, an artificial intelligence assistant, for a link to download a transcription app. Instead, the AI provided a phishing clone of the official website's address, which downloaded an infostealer onto Lunah's work laptop.
The malware was designed to steal passwords, exchange credentials, and private keys from hot wallets.
Lunah detected the compromise in time and isolated his device, but a system reset failed to eliminate the threat. When he attempted to restore files from a backup, he discovered that a SKILL.md document had been modified by hackers.
The attackers had inserted a backdoor into the configuration file, which automatically connected to their server and downloaded the infostealer again when integrated into any new computer.
This incident highlights the growing threat of 'context poisoning' tactics used in AI-related cyberattacks. NEAR Protocol co-founder Illia Polosukhin warned about the critical importance of securing autonomous AI agent infrastructure.