GitHub notifications exploited to impersonate Y Combinator in crypto theft campaign
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A phishing campaign impersonated Y Combinator to target GitHub users with cryptocurrency drainers. The attackers exploited GitHub's notification system to send fraudulent invitations to the YC W2026 program. The campaign aimed to steal cryptocurrency by prompting users to verify their wallets on a fake site. The attackers created issues across multiple repositories and tagged targeted users, leveraging GitHub's automatic notifications. The fake invitations promised $15 million in funding, directing users to a misspelled domain that mimicked the legitimate YC site. The fraudulent site ran obfuscated JavaScript to authorize malicious transactions, draining users' crypto assets. The campaign was reported to GitHub, IC3, and Google Safe Browsing, leading to the removal of the fraudulent repositories.
Timeline
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24.09.2025 15:37 1 articles · 5d ago
GitHub notifications exploited in phishing campaign impersonating Y Combinator
A phishing campaign impersonating Y Combinator targeted GitHub users with cryptocurrency drainers. The attackers exploited GitHub's notification system to send fraudulent invitations to the YC W2026 program. The campaign aimed to steal cryptocurrency by prompting users to verify their wallets on a fake site. The attackers created issues across multiple repositories and tagged targeted users, leveraging GitHub's automatic notifications. The fake invitations promised $15 million in funding, directing users to a misspelled domain that mimicked the legitimate YC site. The fraudulent site ran obfuscated JavaScript to prompt users to verify their wallets, authorizing malicious transactions and draining users' crypto assets.
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- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
Information Snippets
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The attackers exploited GitHub's notification system by creating issues and tagging users.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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The phishing campaign impersonated Y Combinator, promising $15 million in funding for the W2026 program.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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The fake site used obfuscated JavaScript to prompt users to verify their wallets, authorizing malicious transactions.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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The fraudulent domain was a misspelled variant of the legitimate YC site, replacing 'i' with a lower case 'L'.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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The campaign targeted developers, who are more likely to have digital wallets.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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The fraudulent repositories were removed following reports to GitHub, IC3, and Google Safe Browsing.
First reported: 24.09.2025 15:371 source, 1 articleShow sources
- GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 24.09.2025 15:37
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