Regulation
Kylie Jenner's X Account Hijacked to Push Meme Coin That Crashed 68%
01 Sep 2026, 01:30
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Attackers used a compromised celebrity social media account to promote a meme coin that briefly hit a $1.19M market cap before collapsing, reviving warnings about token pump scams.
<p>Kylie Jenner's X account was compromised on August 27 and used to promote a meme coin called $KYLIE, which briefly reached a $1.19 million market capitalization before crashing 68% once the promotional posts were removed and the account regained legitimate control. The incident is the latest in a long-running pattern of celebrity account hijackings used to pump low-quality tokens before the attackers, or associated insiders, sell into the resulting buying pressure.</p>
<p>The scheme follows a well-documented playbook: attackers gain access to a high-follower account, post enthusiastic messages about a newly launched token to trigger a rapid price spike from followers rushing to buy, and then exit their own holdings near the peak before the account owner regains control and the token's price collapses. Retail buyers who purchase during the initial spike are typically left holding tokens worth a fraction of their entry price once the promotional posts are deleted.</p>
<p>Celebrity account compromises have become a recurring vector for these pump-and-dump schemes throughout the meme coin boom, exploiting the combination of large, trusting follower bases and the speed at which crypto markets can move on a single viral post. The $KYLIE token's rapid rise and even faster collapse illustrates how little underlying value or utility such tokens typically carry, with price driven almost entirely by the borrowed credibility of the compromised account.</p>
<p>Security researchers tracking these incidents note that social media platforms have struggled to prevent account takeovers targeting high-profile users despite years of similar incidents across the industry, and that the speed of crypto markets makes rapid-response account recovery critical to limiting damage once a compromise is detected. For token launches specifically, the incident adds to a growing body of evidence that any coin promoted through a single viral social media post, celebrity-linked or otherwise, warrants deep skepticism from potential buyers.</p>
<p>The episode serves as a reminder for crypto investors to treat celebrity endorsements of new tokens -- especially ones appearing suddenly and without prior announcement -- as a red flag rather than a buy signal, given how frequently such posts trace back to compromised accounts rather than genuine endorsements.</p>
<p>The scheme follows a well-documented playbook: attackers gain access to a high-follower account, post enthusiastic messages about a newly launched token to trigger a rapid price spike from followers rushing to buy, and then exit their own holdings near the peak before the account owner regains control and the token's price collapses. Retail buyers who purchase during the initial spike are typically left holding tokens worth a fraction of their entry price once the promotional posts are deleted.</p>
<p>Celebrity account compromises have become a recurring vector for these pump-and-dump schemes throughout the meme coin boom, exploiting the combination of large, trusting follower bases and the speed at which crypto markets can move on a single viral post. The $KYLIE token's rapid rise and even faster collapse illustrates how little underlying value or utility such tokens typically carry, with price driven almost entirely by the borrowed credibility of the compromised account.</p>
<p>Security researchers tracking these incidents note that social media platforms have struggled to prevent account takeovers targeting high-profile users despite years of similar incidents across the industry, and that the speed of crypto markets makes rapid-response account recovery critical to limiting damage once a compromise is detected. For token launches specifically, the incident adds to a growing body of evidence that any coin promoted through a single viral social media post, celebrity-linked or otherwise, warrants deep skepticism from potential buyers.</p>
<p>The episode serves as a reminder for crypto investors to treat celebrity endorsements of new tokens -- especially ones appearing suddenly and without prior announcement -- as a red flag rather than a buy signal, given how frequently such posts trace back to compromised accounts rather than genuine endorsements.</p>