--- title: Someone targeted security researchers using a fake... description: A hacker impersonating a leading crypto news outlet targeted cybersecurity professionals around Black Hat and Def Con, approaching them on X and then sharing a... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure | daily.dev og:description: A hacker impersonating a leading crypto news outlet targeted cybersecurity professionals around Black Hat and Def Con, approaching them on X and then sharing a... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/yUOnhM4kP.png og:image:alt: Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure **[TechCrunch](https://daily.dev/sources/tc)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A hacker impersonating a leading crypto news outlet targeted cybersecurity professionals around Black Hat and Def Con, approaching them on X and then sharing a legitimate Google Doc rigged with Google App Script to mimic an encrypted document. Victims were prompted to enter a fake decryption key, a first step toward installing OS-specific malware: an infostealer for macOS, a remote desktop tool repurposed as Windows malware, and a fake Ledger wallet installer. Security firm Huntress caught the campaign after one of its own researchers played along to study the hacker's tactics. The X account behind the campaign did not respond to requests for comment, and Google had not yet commented on whether it was aware of the campaign. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How did a hacker use Google Docs to deliver malware to security researchers at Black Hat and Def Con? A hacker impersonating a crypto news outlet shared a legitimate Google Doc styled to look like an encrypted conference planning document, using Google App Script to add a fake sidebar prompting a decryption key. Entering the key started a process installing an infostealer on macOS, a repurposed remote desktop tool on Windows, or a fake Ledger wallet installer, according to security firm Huntress, which caught the campaign when a targeted researcher played along. _Security teams tracking phishing techniques that abuse legitimate tools like Google Docs can follow developments like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Crypto Heist Fueled by Elaborate Fake Reputation Campaign](https://daily.dev/posts/crypto-heist-fueled-by-elaborate-fake-reputation-campaign-jl8cj7yzf) · Dark Reading · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Dev targeted by sophisticated job scam](https://daily.dev/posts/dev-targeted-by-sophisticated-job-scam-1c3sgwpf2) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Try not to get scammed while looking for work](https://daily.dev/posts/try-not-to-get-scammed-while-looking-for-work-ypwkmxgrx) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [FakeWallet crypto stealer spreading in the App Store](https://daily.dev/posts/fakewallet-crypto-stealer-spreading-in-the-app-store-olajdjk3j) · Securelist · 3 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#cyber](https://daily.dev/tags/cyber), [#malware](https://daily.dev/tags/malware), [#phishing](https://daily.dev/tags/phishing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp"},"datePublished":"2026-08-20T20:04:04.180Z","dateModified":"2026-08-25T21:38:21.474Z","description":"A hacker impersonating a leading crypto news outlet targeted cybersecurity professionals around Black Hat and Def Con, approaching them on X and then sharing a...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/163638cd15b194214fbd3610a7a91379?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/163638cd15b194214fbd3610a7a91379?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCrunch","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCrunch","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tc","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,cyber,malware,phishing","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCrunch","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/someone-targeted-security-researchers-using-a-fake-crypto-conference-as-a-lure-yuonhm4kp#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How did a hacker use Google Docs to deliver malware to security researchers at Black Hat and Def Con?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A hacker impersonating a crypto news outlet shared a legitimate Google Doc styled to look like an encrypted conference planning document, using Google App Script to add a fake sidebar prompting a decryption key. Entering the key started a process installing an infostealer on macOS, a repurposed remote desktop tool on Windows, or a fake Ledger wallet installer, according to security firm Huntress, which caught the campaign when a targeted researcher played along. Security teams tracking phishing techniques that abuse legitimate tools like Google Docs can follow developments like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```