Simply put
- The Dota 2 YouTube channel was momentarily taken over on Wednesday, promoting tokens based on Solana.
- Shortly after, a PGL YouTube channel, linked to a Romanian esports organizer for Valve tournaments, was also hacked, streaming fake Bitcoin giveaways.
- Decrypt confirmed through screenshots that several Dota 2 channels were compromised before the content was removed.
The official Dota 2 YouTube account faced a brief hack on Wednesday, where it showcased a token called dota2coin via what viewers deemed a deceptive livestream.
There are no signs that user data was affected, aside from the misleading promotions. We verified the video’s existence through notification logs.
The livestream titled “Dota 2 Launch Official Meme Coin | Hurry Up” linked to PumpFun tokens, but the description misleadingly redirected to the official YouTube channel.
This incident coincided with reports of users struggling with video playback issues across YouTube, where some couldn’t watch videos at all, as noted by a source.
At the time of this report, the memecoin’s market cap had dropped to about $5,500, reflecting a roughly 21% decrease since it was introduced around 21:55 UTC.
Data shows this coin was likely created just hours after the hack, with a minimal bond curve and one wallet controlling over 98% of its supply.
A Reddit user on the r/DotA2 forum quickly shared screenshots of the hack, warning people not to invest in the fake tokens.
The breach extended beyond the Dota 2 channels, with reports indicating that PGL had also been compromised, leading to the streaming of a fake Bitcoin event posing as executive Michael Saylor, at one point attracting over 2,000 viewers.
We reached out to both Valve and PGL for verification. PumpFun’s co-founder has not yet responded.
This breach follows a troubling trend seen in high-profile organizations. In recent years, hijacked YouTube accounts have been repurposed to promote fraudulent schemes.
Previously, hackers took over popular creator channels, rebranding to impersonate known crypto personalities while promoting fake token giveaways.
Google’s Threat Analysis Group reported that attackers used phishing emails disguised as sponsorship offers to systematically compromise verified YouTube accounts, imitating exchanges like Binance to run fraudulent crypto events.
Institutional and public sector accounts were also at risk. Last year, for instance, the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel fell victim to similar tactics, promoting fraudulent XRP streams.
Some well-known technology figures have been impersonated too. In August, a scam used the likeness of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, resulting in victims losing significant amounts of money in a Bitcoin giveaway scheme.
