Blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer has exposed a seemingly innocuous Google advertisement as a crypto wallet drainer, cleverly masquerading as the official website for Sony’s new blockchain project, Soneium.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Web3 security firm Scam Sniffer reported on X that a search for “Someium,” a slight misspelling of Soneium, led users to a deceptive phishing website posing as the blockchain.
The blockchain security company found that the deceptive link sometimes took users to a still-in-progress website for a completely different company. However, the website featured a hidden wallet drainer that could completely drain someone’s funds.
“Phishing always happens when you’re not paying attention, even if you mistakenly spell soneium as someium,” the firm wrote.
The number of phishing scams seems to be on the rise and increasing in complexity.
Cybersecurity firm SlashNext reported a 341% increase in malicious phishing links, emails, QR codes, and attachment-based threats in the six months before May.
At the same time, FBI Director Christopher Wray recently claimed crypto scams were “skyrocketing in severity and complexity.”
Tim Callan, Chief Experience Officer at blockchain security firm Sectigo, told CCN that phishing attacks can be incredibly hard to prevent.
“Attackers are now deploying a growing variety of tactics, such as supply chain attacks and social engineering, to target organizational issues inherent with hybrid work, human error, and shadow IT,” Callan told CCN.
Soneium is a new blockchain developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony SBL) and built as an Ethereum Layer 2 solution.
According to Jun Watanabe, chairman of Sony Block Solutions Labs, Soneium aims to tackle these two challenges by creating diverse businesses and “new use cases with the aim of reaching as many users as possible with the customer value that can be enjoyed only with Web3 technology. ”
SBL’s Soneium Minato public testnet recently celebrated its initial immense success, welcoming over one million accounts since its launch on Aug. 26.
The success arguably highlights the future real-world potential of Sony’s L2 blockchain.