KLM’s X/Twitter Account Hacked by Crypto Criminals

The X (Twitter) account belonging to the Dutch airline KLM was hacked by crypto criminals, who used it to promote a memecoin.

KLM hack

The hack, which took place last Friday (January 3rd), targeted the X (formerly known as Twitter) account of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the flag carrier of the Netherlands.

An unidentified criminal or group of criminals managed to hack into KLM’s X account and used it to send out tweets completely unrelated to aviation.

Instead, they began posting a flurry of tweets promoting a memecoin called $KLM, much to the surprise of KLM’s 2.2 million followers on X, many of whom had no idea what the posts were about.

One Tweet by KLM on X read: “We took a look at the Solana market today. You guys wanna board $KLM? Destination: MOON!”

Another Tweet talked about $KLM being backed up by an AI agent with a scheduled release the next day.

Aviation meats crypto

The hack left not only social media users puzzled about what had just happened and what the tweets were referring to, but also some reporters at the Netherlands’ biggest newspaper, Telegraaf, which reported in an article that “KLM was messaging about flying to the moon”.

However, the crypto slang “to the moon” simply means that the writer expects the price of a cryptocurrency to rise significantly, and does not refer to an actual flight to the moon.

Instead, it seems the hackers of KLM’s X account simply wanted to promote a memecoin called $KLM, which is built on the Solana blockchain.

A memecoin is a cryptocurrency inspired by internet memes or humour, often lacking significant utility or value, but gaining popularity through community engagement and viral trends.

It therefore seems that the hackers were either hoping media attention and going viral would drive up the price so they could cash out by selling their stock of $KLM memecoins, or simply wanted to troll.

None of what happened had anything to do with KLM as an airline or with aviation at all.

KLM control

After about an hour, KLM regained control of its X account and promptly deleted the tweets.

A KLM spokesman acknowledged that their X/Twitter account was briefly hacked on Friday and stated that further measures had been taken to prevent a repeat of the situation.

However, it wasn’t the first time KLM’s X account had been hacked by crypto criminals, as the same situation occurred in November last year.

Back then, tweets such as “Due to current market conditions, I now identify as a memecoin” and “We’re kinda tired of flying planes, so we thought it’d be a good idea to fly a Solana memecoin $KLM” were posted by KLM’s official X/Twitter account.

It remains to be seen how effective the measures taken by KLM will be.

Criminal activity on X

When interacting with airline social media accounts, especially on X/Twitter, users are well-advised to be vigilant, as many criminals try to impersonate official airline accounts or their help desks in an attempt to steal personal data or credit card information.

A common scam favoured by online criminals is creating bots that reply to people posting complaints on social media about a delayed or cancelled flight with a particular airline or misplaced luggage.

Impersonating an airline representative or help desk employee, they urge the social media user to send a direct message (DM) to resolve their situation, which is how they attempt to gain access to personal data and, ultimately, credit card or banking details.

Always check if the account you’re interacting with is the airline’s official one, never send credit card details in a direct message, and verify whether any external page you’re directed to is legitimate.

Conclusion

Crypto criminals hacked the official KLM account on X/Twitter and used it to promote a memecoin, with the crypto slang leaving social media followers puzzled.

The hack didn’t last long, and KLM managed to regain control in about an hour, but the situation raises questions about how well the Dutch flag carrier is securing its social media accounts, as they also fell victim to a similar hack by crypto criminals in November last year.

When interacting with airlines on social media, especially on X/Twitter, it’s important to be vigilant, as there are many other scams circulating, such as bots made by criminals impersonating airline representatives.