Solana Co-Founder Targeted in Failed Bitcoin Extortion and Data Leak

By: Eliza Bennet

The co-founder of Solana, Raj Gokal, found himself at the center of a high-profile hacking incident involving the compromised Instagram account of the former rap trio, Migos. On May 27, hackers took over Migos' Instagram account, posting images of Gokal holding personal identification documents. These images were accompanied by captions demanding a ransom of 40 Bitcoin to prevent the release of the stolen information, which Gokal refused to pay.

The breach began when the assailants accessed Gokal's email account, where backup images used for know-your-customer (KYC) purposes were stored. These images, commonly supplied to financial services and crypto exchanges, included Gokal's passport and those of his wife. Subsequently, the attackers posted these on the hijacked Instagram account, misleadingly suggesting Gokal should have complied with their demands.

Blockchain analysts clarified that the breach resulted from social engineering, specifically targeting Gokal's email provider, rather than connections to other recent security incidents like the Coinbase data breach. In the latter, attackers bribed exchange support agents to obtain internal access which was later used for phishing attacks on customers, a separate incident entirely.

In response to the breach, Gokal cautioned the public against unexpected social media solicitations, underscoring the importance of vigilance in the face of expanding social engineering threats facing the crypto community. Although no ransom was paid, the episode has intensified discourse on the security vulnerabilities inherent in digital and social account platforms for high-profile individuals and organizations alike.