Can AI bots steal your cryptocurrency? Learn about the rise of digital thieves
AI robots steal cryptocurrency, there are already victims, take a look quickly!Original Title: Can AI bots steal your crypto? The rise of digital thieves
Compiled by: 0xdeepseek, ChainCather
In an era where cryptocurrency and AI technology are both surging, the security of digital assets faces unprecedented challenges. This article reveals how AI bots, through automated attacks, deep learning, and large-scale infiltration capabilities, have turned the crypto space into a new battlefield for crime—ranging from precise phishing to harvesting smart contract vulnerabilities, from deepfake scams to adaptive malware, the methods of attack have surpassed the limits of traditional human defenses. In the face of this algorithmic showdown, users must remain vigilant against AI-powered "digital thieves" while also effectively utilizing AI-driven defense tools. Only by maintaining a balance between technological vigilance and security practices can one safeguard their wealth fortress amid the tumultuous waves of the crypto world.
TL;DR
- AI bots possess self-evolution capabilities, automating massive crypto attacks with efficiency far exceeding that of human hackers.
- In 2024, AI phishing attacks caused a single loss of $65 million, with fake airdrop websites automatically draining user wallets.
- GPT-3 level AI can directly analyze smart contract vulnerabilities, similar technology previously led to the theft of $80 million from Fei Protocol.
- AI builds predictive models by analyzing leaked password data through brute force, reducing the protection time for weak password wallets by 90%.
- Deepfake technology is creating fake CEO videos/audios, becoming a new social engineering weapon for inducing transfers.
- The black market has seen the emergence of AI-as-a-service tools like WormGPT, allowing non-technical individuals to generate customized phishing attacks.
- The BlackMamba proof-of-concept malware uses AI to rewrite code in real-time, making it 100% undetectable by mainstream security systems.
- Hardware wallets store private keys offline, effectively defending against 99% of AI remote attacks (as validated by the 2022 FTX incident).
- AI social zombie networks can simultaneously control millions of accounts, with the deepfake video scam involving Elon Musk exceeding $46 million.
1. What are AI bots?
AI bots are self-learning software that can automate and continuously optimize cyber attacks, making them more dangerous than traditional hacking methods.
The core of today's AI-driven cybercrime lies in AI bots—these self-learning software programs are designed to process vast amounts of data, make independent decisions, and execute complex tasks without human intervention. While these bots have become disruptive forces in industries like finance, healthcare, and customer service, they have also become weapons for cybercriminals, especially in the cryptocurrency space.
Unlike traditional hacking methods that rely on manual operation and technical expertise, AI bots can fully automate attacks, adapt to new cryptocurrency security measures, and even optimize strategies over time. This enables them to far surpass human hackers, who are limited by time, resources, and error-prone processes.
2. Why are AI bots so dangerous?
The greatest threat of AI cybercrime lies in its scale. A single hacker's ability to breach an exchange or trick users into handing over private keys is limited, but AI bots can launch thousands of attacks simultaneously and optimize their methods in real-time.
- Speed: AI bots can scan millions of blockchain transactions, smart contracts, and websites in minutes, identifying wallet vulnerabilities (leading to wallet hacks), DeFi protocol weaknesses, and exchange flaws.
- Scalability: Human scammers may send hundreds of phishing emails, while AI bots can send personalized, well-crafted phishing emails to millions in the same timeframe.
- Adaptability: Machine learning allows these bots to evolve from each failure, making them harder to detect and intercept.
This automation, adaptability, and large-scale attack capability have led to a surge in AI-driven crypto scams, making the prevention of crypto fraud more critical than ever.
In October 2024, the X account of Andy Ayrey, developer of the AI bot Truth Terminal, was hacked. The attackers used his account to promote a fraudulent meme coin called Infinite Backrooms (IB), causing its market cap to soar to $25 million. Within 45 minutes, the criminals sold off their holdings, making over $600,000 in profit.
3. How do AI bots steal crypto assets?
AI bots not only automate scams but also become more intelligent, precise, and harder to detect. Here are the current dangerous AI scams used to steal crypto assets:
- AI-driven phishing bots
Traditional phishing attacks are not new in the crypto space, but AI has exponentially increased their threat. Today's AI bots can create messages that closely resemble official communications from platforms like Coinbase or MetaMask, collecting personal information through leaked databases, social media, or even blockchain records, making the scams highly convincing.
For example, in early 2024, an AI phishing attack targeting Coinbase users tricked victims into losing nearly $65 million through fake security alert emails. Additionally, after the release of GPT-4, scammers set up fake OpenAI token airdrop websites, luring users to connect their wallets and automatically draining their assets.
These AI-enhanced phishing attacks often have no spelling errors or poor wording, with some even deploying AI customer service bots to "verify" identities and trick users into providing private keys or 2FA codes. In 2022, the Mars Stealer malware could steal private keys from over 40 wallet plugins and 2FA apps, often spreading through phishing links or pirated tools.
- AI vulnerability scanning bots
Smart contract vulnerabilities are a goldmine for hackers, and AI bots are exploiting these vulnerabilities at an unprecedented speed. These bots continuously scan platforms like Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain for vulnerabilities in newly deployed DeFi projects. Once a problem is detected, they can automatically exploit it, often completing the process within minutes.
Researchers have demonstrated that AI chatbots (such as those powered by GPT-3) can analyze smart contract code to identify exploitable weaknesses. For instance, Zellic co-founder Stephen Tong showcased an AI chatbot that detected a vulnerability in the "withdraw" function of a smart contract, similar to the vulnerability exploited in the Fei Protocol attack that resulted in an $80 million loss.
- AI-enhanced brute force attacks
Brute force attacks used to take a long time, but AI bots have made them exceptionally efficient. By analyzing previous password leaks, these bots can quickly identify patterns for cracking passwords and seed phrases, achieving record speeds. A 2024 study on desktop cryptocurrency wallets (including Sparrow, Etherwall, and Bither) found that weak passwords significantly reduce resistance to brute force attacks, emphasizing the critical importance of strong and complex passwords for protecting digital assets.
- Deepfake impersonation bots
Imagine seeing a video of a trusted cryptocurrency influencer or CEO asking you to invest—but it’s completely fake. This is the reality of AI-driven deepfake scams. These bots create hyper-realistic videos and audio recordings, even tricking savvy cryptocurrency holders into transferring funds.
- Social media zombie networks
On platforms like X and Telegram, numerous AI bots are spreading cryptocurrency scams on a large scale. Zombie networks like "Fox8" utilize ++ChatGPT++ to generate hundreds of persuasive posts, aggressively promoting scam tokens and responding to users in real-time.
In one case, scammers exploited the names of Elon Musk and ChatGPT to promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways—accompanied by deepfake videos of Musk—tricking people into sending money to the scammers.
In 2023, researchers from Sophos found that crypto romance scammers used ChatGPT to chat with multiple victims simultaneously, making their heartfelt messages more convincing and scalable.
Similarly, Meta reported a sharp increase in malware and phishing links disguised as ChatGPT or AI tools, often related to cryptocurrency fraud schemes. In the realm of romance scams, AI is driving what is known as ++pig butchering++—long-term scams where scammers cultivate relationships and then lure victims into fake cryptocurrency investments. In 2024, a high-profile case in Hong Kong saw police dismantle a criminal gang that used AI-assisted romance scams to defraud men across Asia of $46 million.
4. How AI malware fuels cybercrime against crypto users
AI is teaching cybercriminals how to infiltrate crypto platforms, enabling a cohort of less technically skilled attackers to launch credible attacks. This helps explain why the scale of crypto phishing and malware activity is so vast—AI tools allow bad actors to automate scams and continuously improve based on effective methods.
AI has also enhanced the malware threats and hacking strategies targeting cryptocurrency users. A concerning issue is AI-generated malware, which uses AI to adapt and evade detection.
In 2023, researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept program called BlackMamba, a polymorphic keylogger that uses AI language models (like the technology behind ChatGPT) to rewrite its code with each execution. This means that every time BlackMamba runs, it generates a new variant in memory, helping it evade detection by antivirus and endpoint security tools.
In tests, leading endpoint detection and response systems failed to detect this AI-generated malware. Once activated, it can secretly capture everything the user inputs (including passwords for cryptocurrency exchanges or wallet seed phrases) and send that data to the attacker.
While BlackMamba is just a laboratory demonstration, it highlights a real threat: criminals can use AI to create morphing malware targeting cryptocurrency accounts, making it harder to capture than traditional viruses.
Even without exotic AI malware, threat actors will exploit the popularity of AI to spread classic trojans. Scammers often set up fake "ChatGPT" or AI-related applications containing malware, knowing that users may let their guard down due to the AI branding. For example, security analysts have observed fraudulent websites impersonating ChatGPT sites with "Windows Download" buttons; if clicked, they silently install a trojan that steals cryptocurrency on the victim's machine.
In addition to the malware itself, AI also lowers the technical barrier for hackers. Previously, criminals needed some coding knowledge to create phishing pages or viruses. Now, underground "AI-as-a-service" tools can do most of the work.
Illegal AI chatbots like WormGPT and FraudGPT have emerged on dark web forums, capable of generating phishing emails, malware code, and hacking techniques on demand. For a fee, even non-technical criminals can use these AI bots to create convincing scam websites, develop new malware variants, and scan for software vulnerabilities.
5. How to protect your cryptocurrency from AI bots
As AI-driven threats become increasingly sophisticated, robust security measures are crucial for protecting digital assets from automated scams and hacking attacks.
Here are the most effective ways to protect cryptocurrency from hacks and defend against AI phishing, deepfake scams, and vulnerability bots:
- Use hardware wallets: AI-driven malware and phishing attacks primarily target online (hot) wallets. By using hardware wallets like Ledger or Trezor, you can keep your private keys completely offline, making it nearly impossible for hackers or malicious AI bots to access them remotely. For example, during the 2022 FTX collapse, those using hardware wallets avoided the massive losses suffered by users who stored funds on exchanges.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords: AI bots can exploit deep learning in cybercrime to crack weak passwords, using machine learning algorithms trained on leaked data to predict and exploit vulnerable credentials. To address this, always ++enable++ MFA through authenticator apps like Google Authenticator or Authy, rather than SMS-based codes—known to be less secure due to SIM swap vulnerabilities.
- Be wary of AI-driven phishing scams: AI-generated phishing emails, messages, and fake support requests are often nearly indistinguishable from real requests. Avoid clicking links in emails or direct messages, always manually verify website URLs, and never share private keys or seed phrases, no matter how convincing the request seems.
- Carefully verify identities to avoid deepfake scams: AI-driven deepfake videos and audio recordings can convincingly impersonate cryptocurrency influencers, executives, or even people you know. If someone requests funds or promotes an urgent investment opportunity via video or audio, verify their identity through multiple channels before taking action.
- Stay informed about the latest blockchain security threats: Regularly follow trusted blockchain security sources, such as Chainalysis or SlowMist.
