Microsoft's X Account Hacked to Promote Unauthorized Clippy Meme Coin

Microsoft's official X account was hijacked on Thursday to promote an unauthorized cryptocurrency token inspired by Clippy, Microsoft's paperclip assistant. The hijack occurred when the account followed and reposted a tweet from an account promoting the unofficial meme coin, CLIPPY, which trades with a liquidity pool reportedly worth over $200,000.

Microsoft confirmed the breach to The Verge and stated that it never authorized anyone to promote a token using its intellectual property, including Clippy. The company plans to pursue legal action to have the token and associated marketing removed. It also emphasized that its real MSFT ticker has nothing to do with any token carrying a similar name, which gives holders no ownership rights in Microsoft Corporation.

This incident is not an isolated case, as similar attacks have been reported on other prominent figures and companies this year. In July, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev's X account was hijacked to promote a fake token called Vladhood, using the same playbook as this attack. The company also mentioned that it is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the hijack.