Govtech.com: Scammers Hack Microsoft X Account to Promote Fake Clippy Memecoin
Microsoft Mascot Clippy Hijacked in Cryptocurrency Scam on X
Scammers exploited the nostalgia surrounding Microsoft’s virtual assistant Clippy from the late ’90s by launching a fraudulent memecoin campaign on X, temporarily compromising the tech giant’s official 13-million-follower account in the process, govtech.com reported.
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The Tech TL;DR:
- Scammers created a fake X account named @ClippyMSFTCo to promote a fraudulent memecoin tied to $MSFT stock.
- The threat actors hijacked Microsoft’s official verified X account to retweet the fraudulent memecoin promotion.
- A subsequent fake apology post falsely claimed responsibility before Microsoft regained account control and deleted the unauthorized posts.
The Anatomy of the Social Engineering Attack
The incident began when threat actors registered a profile on X under the handle ClippyMSFTCo. The account published a post asking Microsoft, “How many likes to bring Clippy back?” alongside promotional material for a fraudulent memecoin. Rather than keeping the engagement isolated to the fringe profile, the attackers breached Microsoft’s primary corporate X account. Using the official corporate channel—which boasts 13 million followers—the attackers retweeted the memecoin promotion, amplifying the reach of the financial scam.
Following the unauthorized retweet, a second fraudulent post appeared on Microsoft’s feed. Formatted as an official corporate apology, the post stated, “We are aware of a cryptocurrency token being promoted in connection with $MSFT stock, including the unauthorized use of the Clippy brand and Microsoft-related intellectual property.” Investigators subsequently confirmed that this apology was also generated and published by the scammers rather than corporate communications personnel.
Account Recovery and Platform Enforcement
Engineering teams at Microsoft eventually secured the compromised corporate profile and scrubbed the timeline of the fraudulent posts. Simultaneously, platform moderation at X intervened, suspending and deleting the original account responsible for initiating the memecoin promotion.
Disclaimer: The technical analyses and security protocols detailed in this article are for informational purposes only. Always consult with certified IT and cybersecurity professionals before altering enterprise networks or handling sensitive data.