Cryptocurrency Scammers Briefly Hijack Trump Campaign Website
Unknown hackers briefly take over part of President Trump's campaign website to run a Monero cryptocurrency scam. Authorities confirm no sensitive donor data is exposed during the minutes-long incident.
Unknown hackers briefly hijack parts of President Trump's campaign website on Tuesday afternoon to run a cryptocurrency scam. The attackers gain access to the donaldjtrump.com server backend and insert obfuscated JavaScript that displays a fake FBI seizure message over the normal site content. The hacked page features a political message criticizing the president and falsely claims the hackers possess classified information.
The scammers provide two Monero addresses and ask visitors to send the difficult-to-track cryptocurrency to vote on whether the alleged secret data should be released or kept hidden. Despite the hackers' bold claims, there is no evidence that they actually obtain access to internal communications, classified information, or the Trump family's private data. The perpetrators sign the page with a PGP key linked to a non-existent domain, further indicating a standard scam operation.
The Trump campaign communications director quickly confirms the breach, stating that no sensitive donor data is exposed. Site administrators restore the original content within minutes of the attack, and the campaign reports that it is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident. This brief hijacking ultimately represents a common online cryptocurrency scam rather than a sophisticated or state-sponsored cyberattack.