Bored Ape Yacht Club server hacked, 200 ETH worth of assets stolen

Popular NFT collection The Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC)’s server was exploited by hackers and about 200 Ethereum worth (approximately US$379,000) of digital assets were stolen from users.

The hack took place on June 4 and came after a phishing compromised the Discord account of Boris Vagner, BAYC’s community manager. Using Vagner’s login details, hackers then posted fake links in the Discord channels of the official BAYC and its related metaverse project Otherside, according to reports. 

BAYC announced the scam on Twitter about 11 hours after it occurred; Yuga Labs, which owns the BAYC collection, said it was investigating the case.

This is the third time accounts operated by Yuga Labs have been hacked. On April 1, a fake website was posted on the Discord for the NFT collection Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), and on April 25, BAYC’s Instagram and Discord accounts were hacked by scammers who directed users to a fake website claiming to distribute virtual land on the Otherside.

The latest incident prompted Yuga Labs co-founder Gordon Goner to rethink the use of Discord, a social networking tool which has been popular among NFT communities. “Discord isn’t working for Web3 communities. We need a better platform that puts security first,” Goner wrote on Twitter.

Last month, popular NFT marketplace Opensea said items worth 10 Ethereum were stolen after its Discord server was hacked to promote a scam. 

The BAYC is one of the most sought-after NFT collections in the world. In March, Yuga Labs raised US$450 million in funding for its planned joint ventures and partnerships.