Ledger’s Discord Server Hacked As Users Issued Warning

Ongoing Threats Target Ledger Users

The Ledger attack adds to a string of recent phishing schemes aimed at Ledger’s user base.

Last month, scammers mailed out fake Ledger-branded letters to hardware wallet owners, urging them to scan QR codes and input their recovery phrases under the guise of a routine security update.

Simultaneously, a dangerous vulnerability emerged from Ethereum’s latest “Pectra” upgrade, specifically within EIP-7702. This update enables off-chain signatures, which, if misused, can let attackers gain full control over wallets without the owner’s on-chain approval.

Security experts flagged the issue as critical, with warnings coming from leading researchers in the space. Meanwhile, BNB Chain also faced issues, with Mobius Token (MBU) suffering a $2.15 million loss due to a malicious smart contract exploit.

Discord Server Breach: How It Happened

On May 11th, Ledger’s official Discord community was breached after a moderator’s credentials were compromised. According to Ledger’s staff member Quintin Boatwright, the situation was quickly handled.

The affected account was disabled, a malicious bot was removed, and the fraudulent link was reported. In addition, the team reviewed and locked down all server permissions to mitigate further threats.

Source: Discord

Despite the swift action, community members alleged that the attacker had used moderator privileges to ban or mute users who were trying to warn others about the scam. This may have delayed Ledger’s ability to act quickly and could have allowed the phishing messages to circulate for longer than necessary.

The fraudulent message claimed that a critical vulnerability had been discovered within Ledger’s infrastructure and directed users to verify their seed phrases via a deceptive link. Once clicked, users were asked to connect their wallets and follow instructions that mimicked legitimate Ledger processes, posing a serious risk to their assets.

Repeated Targeting & The 2020 Data Leak

This isn’t the first time Ledger customers have been targeted with alarming precision.

Many believe these ongoing attacks are connected to a 2020 data breach in which the personal information of over 270,000 Ledger users was leaked online. This included names, phone numbers, and physical addresses.

In 2021, several users reported receiving counterfeit Ledger devices embedded with malware, an incident that further underlined how sophisticated and persistent these threats have become.

Why It’s So Dangerous

What makes attacks like this one and the EIP-7702 incident especially alarming is their off-chain nature. Messages signed by users can be reused across any Ethereum-compatible chain if the chain ID is set to zero. Wallet interfaces that don’t yet support or warn about the new transaction type may fail to alert users to suspicious activity.

Source: X (@ecurrencyholder)

This loophole can affect even hardware wallets like Ledger, long considered the gold standard for digital asset security, if users sign unknown or malformed delegation messages.

Staying Safe: Tips for Crypto Users

Users should avoid signing messages they don’t fully understand, particularly those referencing account nonces or unusual formats. Wallet developers are being urged to implement better message parsing and introduce clear warnings when off-chain delegation requests are detected.

While multisig wallets offer added protection through multiple required approvals, most retail investors still rely on single-key wallets, which are now more vulnerable than ever under the new upgrade.

Aside from EIP-7702, the Pectra release also included:

• EIP-7251 – Raising the validator staking cap to 2,048 ETH. 
• EIP-7691 – Improving L2 scalability through increased blob data capacity. 

However, it’s EIP-7702’s unforeseen consequences that are now taking center stage in security discussions.

Regardless, crypto remains a high-stakes arena where innovation and risk go hand in hand. As platforms like Ledger and Ethereum evolve, so do the methods of malicious actors. Users and developers alike must stay alert, understand new technologies, and implement strong security hygiene to keep digital assets safe.