LUCKNOW (CoinChapter.com) — The Algorand Foundation’s CEO, Staci Warden, fell victim to a malicious hacker who hacked her X account on Jan. 26. The hacker immediately took control of the account and began posting inflammatory and offensive messages. The messages were intended to undermine confidence in Algorand and Warden’s leadership.
Hacker Targets Algorand Community with Racially Charged Messages
The first message posted on the X account by the hacker was racially charged and derogatory. It referred to the Algorand community as “poor” while using a racial slur. This hateful post was likely intended to provoke outrage and controversy. The hacker then urged the Algorand community to sell their holdings and purchase Ether instead.
The hacker didn’t stop there. He then posted a satirical comment about Tron founder Justin Sun. The hacker said that Sun could help boost Algorand to “new heights” if given total control of the network and the ability to mint Tether (USDT) stablecoins freely.
“Of course, I accepted this offer immediately. Soon, Algorand will be pegged to VERY REAL USD, and a new era of digital commerce will commence,”
the hacker wrote.
He further poked fun at the poor track records of both Sun and Tether while portraying Warden as incompetent for even considering such a partnership.
The hacker kept up the charade in subsequent tweets. He said that if Sun integrated with Algorand, the project would trigger the “next major financial collapse in crypto.”
Beyond spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), the hacker humiliated Warden with the outlandish claims.
Personal Attacks on Warden’s Credibility
Not content by attacking Algorand and Warden professionally, the hacker also changed the account bio to allege Warden is an absent, ineffective leader.
The hacker also accused Warden of siphoning six figures from the community and “gaslit” them into thinking the account was hacked rather than accepting responsibility.
Taking the unprofessionalism even further, the hacker proclaimed Warden had already exited her role at the Algorand Foundation. He is now a “semi-professional pole dancer.” This misogynistic attack targeted Warden personally in an apparent effort to destroy her credibility as a leader.
While some community members got entertained by the hacker’s antics, others used the opportunity to criticize Warden. Several users said that the hacker would be better suited to lead Algorand. Another user suggested Warden only qualifies for an internship with the SEC after their recent Twitter hacking debacle.
The Algorand Foundation quickly announced the Warden’s account hack. It urged the community to avoid interacting with tweets, links, or messages. However, the damage from the inflammatory hack was already done.
Despite the news of the hack, ALGO’s price remained relatively stable. It went up 2.24% to $0.1646 over the past 24 hours. Trading volumes also increased 20% to $36.9 million during the same period.
