Crypto: The PEPE memecoin site redirects to a malicious link

As 2025 draws to a close, the crypto universe is struggling to breathe. In a climate saturated with volatility and scandals, one thing persists: hacks. Latest episode? The official website of PEPE, famous memecoin, has been compromised. An alert which no longer surprises anyone, but which continues to cause damage. Investors oscillate between weariness and denial, while the pirates refine their traps. And this time again, they used an old acquaintance: Inferno Drainer.

When a stillborn tool is reborn: the PEPE affair and the “ghost” Inferno Drainer

Blockaid, a company specializing in cybersecurity, spotted malicious code on the official PEPE website. This “front-end” compromise redirects visitors to a fake site, which empties wallets by injecting an invisible script. The most ironic? The software in question, Inferno Drainer, had nevertheless announced its “retirement” at the end of 2023.

But in 2024, the tool has tripled in intensity: from 800 DApps infected per week to 2,400, according to Blockaid.

Blockaid's system identified a front-end attack on Pepe. The site contains Inferno Drainer type code.

Blockaid

Scammers are no longer satisfied with clones. They hack the original interface, taking advantage of Internet users' familiarity with official platforms. As bait? Airdrops, fictitious rewards, fake bonuses. The legitimate appearance is deceptive, and transaction authorizations are granted… without thought.

The sneakiest? These scripts are activated as soon as a wallet is connected, without the need for visible action. In short, it is the user himself who validates the looting of his funds. PEPE is not the only one targeted. Other crypto projects have also been attacked via this insidious process, notably via X, with fraudulent links published on hijacked accounts.

Why the crypto market remains unmoved: PEPE, leak, but don’t panic

Despite this hackthe price of PEPE increased by 4% over 24 hours. A stark contrast to the seriousness of the attack. No free fall, no panic on the forums. In one year, the token has lost more than 77% of its value. The explanation? The goldfish effect of the crypto market.

The world of memecoins, fueled by speculation, has difficulty absorbing weak signals. As long as volatility is profitable, incidents take a back seat. No statement from the PEPE project has yet been published, but the platforms continue to offer the token without any particular alert.

Several experts highlight a latent danger: reputation effects can emerge later, impacting liquidity and liquidation thresholds on certain platforms. Some exchanges could revise their risk metrics, affecting the market more profoundly.

Users are on the front line. Protections exist: security extensions, cross-link checks, refusal of automatic connections… but few apply them. In a world where a single click can empty everything, caution remains in the minority.

The numbers to remember in the crypto world

• 2,400 new DApps infected by Inferno Drainer every week in 2024;
• PEPE: +4% in 24 hours despite the attack;
• Current price of PEPE: $0.000004449;
• -77% performance for PEPE over the last 12 months;
• The exploit targeted the front end, making the original site unsafe without any visual cues;
• Blockaid is at the origin of the alert, but no public response from the PEPE project to date.

Unlike this PEPE affair, a glimmer of light has emerged elsewhere: the developers of Yearn Finance managed to recover 2.4 million stolen dollars thanks to an unprecedented rescue mission. It turns out that even in the shadow of hacks, some crypto teams continue to fight.