Microsoft's 13M-Follower X Account Hijacked to Promote Clippy Meme Coin Scam
Microsoft's official X account was compromised by hackers, allowing them to promote an unofficial Clippy-themed cryptocurrency token.
The attackers used the profile to briefly follow and repost content from an account impersonating Clippy, the company's old Office assistant.
Microsoft's profile picture was also replaced with the paperclip character, and one of the accounts involved promoted a $CLIPPY token, claiming that its liquidity pool was paired with Microsoft stock, or $MSFT.
However, Microsoft made clear that it had not authorized, sponsored, or endorsed any cryptocurrency connected to Clippy, Microsoft, or the MSFT ticker.
The incident lasted roughly 30 minutes, but the attackers had access to one of the most recognizable corporate accounts on X during that window.
The hack resembles previous X account hijacking scams in which attackers used compromised high-profile profiles to promote meme coins.
Microsoft has confirmed 'unauthorized access' and removed posts that did not originate from the company.
The company is continuing to investigate how the compromise happened.