Valve's official YouTube channel for the game Dota 2 was hacked and used to promote a fake Solana coin. The hackers hijacked the channel and livestreamed the launch of the fake coin. While it was removed just hours later, the damage was significant. The token, which was a classic pump-and-dump operation with a single wallet holding over 98% of the token, fell by approximately 21% after its launch, bringing its market cap to $5,500.
This isn't an isolated incident. According to Google's threat analysis team, hackers have been systematically hijacking popular channels with phishing emails and livestreaming cryptocurrency scams since 2020. Simultaneously with the Dota 2 hack, the channel of the esports organization PGL was also hacked in the same manner.
South Korea is vulnerable to such attacks due to its large gaming user base and blockchain community. Even more concerning is the fact that meme coin platforms allow anyone to create tokens in minutes, leaving investors with little time to make informed decisions during live broadcasts. If the blockchain industry seeks public trust, it urgently needs to establish investor protections.
