Several community reports suggest that wallets connected to the Telegram bot Banana Gun have been compromised, with some users reporting the loss of funds.
"We are investigating the issue. The bot is currently offline," the Banana Gun team stated in a pinned message on their official Telegram channel.
According to a community member, yannickcrypto.eth, who posted on X, "It seems there are already 36 victims, with almost 563 ETH ($1.4 million) stolen 'so far' on the mainnet. However, I wouldn't say Banana Gun itself got hacked—there aren’t enough victims."
In an update on X later Thursday, Banana Gun confirmed that some users experienced "unauthorized transfers" from their wallets, prompting the team to take the bot offline. However, they emphasized that their back-end systems were not compromised.
"Only a very small number of users (fewer than 10) were affected," the project clarified. "Additionally, the transfers seem to have been executed manually, leading us to believe the issue might stem from a front-end vulnerability."
As the Banana Gun team continues to investigate the root cause, they have kept the Telegram bot offline and are actively seeking any information that could assist in their inquiry.
Following the news of the hack, the price of BANANA suffered a massive blow with an 8% drop within the first hour. The token is currently trading around $39.90.
Despite the lack of information, the attack doesn't point to a wider smart contract vulnerability, according to Hakan Unal, senior blockchain scientists at Cyvers, who told Cointelegraph:
"Per our investigation so far, it doesn't seem like a contract exploit. It might be small amounts that are being drained from their users."
With the number of affected victims, some are speculating that the hackers failed to infiltrate the entire trading bot, and only an isolated number account.
The hack happened just two weeks after the reemergence of notorious crypto phising app Angel Drainer with a new and improved version that has already deployed hundreds of malicious apps.
But it remains unclear whether Angel Drainer could have orchestrated the Banana Gun bot hack.
Banana Gun operates a Telegram-based trading bot that allows users to execute on-chain transactions and snipe upcoming token launches.
This is not the first challenge the project has faced. Last September, a botched launch of the revenue-sharing Banana token occurred due to a bug in its smart contract.
According to its Dune Analytics dashboard, the platform is a leading player in the industry, facilitating over $6 billion in trading volume across nearly 272,000 users.
Despite its popularity, the recent security break has sparked debates about the safety of using automated trading tools in the crypto industry.
The DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview is reshaping mathematical reasoning, surpassing competitors with its performance and transparency. It provides real-time insights and plans to release open-source tools, intensifying generative AI competition.
CatherineA Texas court ruled against the SEC’s expanded definition of "dealer," a significant setback for the agency’s efforts to regulate crypto firms. The decision is seen as a win for the crypto industry, which views it as a rejection of the SEC's overreach in controlling digital assets.
WeatherlySam Altman envisions AI that "loves humanity," believing alignment efforts are advancing well. But is this an ambitious aspiration or an unattainable ideal?
KikyoMastercard and JPMorgan have teamed up to simplify and speed up cross-border business payments using blockchain technology. Their systems will connect to offer faster settlements, better transparency, and easier management for international transactions.
WeatherlyUpbit refunded 8.5 billion won to 380 voice phishing victims, reinforcing its commitment to user security. Authorities have also linked North Korea's Lazarus Group to the 2019 Ethereum theft of $1.4 billion. In response to rising crypto crimes, Upbit and law enforcement are ramping up their collaboration to safeguard the digital finance space.
CatherineBitcoin is nearing the $100,000 mark, driven by growing optimism around Trump’s crypto-friendly policies and rising institutional interest. The crypto market is surging, with altcoins also gaining strength, signaling a bullish trend across the sector.
AnaisKorea's first AI-powered drama, "Kiss Lighting – Ghost Cupid," uses AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney for scriptwriting and visuals, offering a cost-effective and innovative approach to production. AI is making content creation more accessible, though challenges remain in maintaining audience engagement and addressing legal concerns over ownership and copyright.
WeatherlySouth Korea's financial regulator is urging tighter oversight of the volatile cryptocurrency market, which recently surpassed the stock market in transaction volume. Authorities also confirmed North Korean hackers stole significant cryptocurrency in 2019, intensifying concerns about security and market manipulation.
WeatherlyBritain is ramping up its cyber defences in response to the growing threat of AI-driven attacks from Russia, with a new AI security lab and £8.22 million investment. McFadden emphasised the urgency of protecting digital systems, as Russia’s cyberattacks continue to target Ukraine and its supporters.
AnaisNiantic uses Pokémon GO player data to train an AI model that maps and predicts real-world environments with ground-level precision. This technology could transform gaming, urban planning, and augmented reality while raising privacy concerns about data usage.
Joy
