Near Protocol ‘darkness’ and ‘sovereignty’ tweets raise hack suspicion

As a seasoned crypto investor with a keen eye for market trends and a healthy dose of skepticism, I find Near Protocol’s recent string of unusual tweets intriguing but not entirely reassuring. The Morse Code message decoded as “Darkness is coming” certainly raised some red flags, especially in the absence of any context or explanation.


As a crypto investor following Near Protocol closely, I’ve noticed some intriguing messages coming from their official account (@NearProtocol_X). They encouraged their almost two million followers to “take back control” or “reclaim your power,” which seemed quite unconventional and engaging.

Around 6:18 pm UTC on May 8, Near Protocol’s X account shared a 27-second Morse Code video on social media without offering any explanation. Decoding this message, as accomplished by CryptoMoon, revealed the ominous phrase, “Darkness is coming.”

Approximately two hours following the enigmatic tweet from Near’s X account, they posted a series of four messages in succession. The text for these tweets was penned in an intricate gothic script, frequently adopted by heavy metal musicians. The content of these messages read as follows: “The sun rises in the east,” “Recall your musings,” “Darkness,” and “Retake your authority.”

Furthermore, Near’s account title and profile information were adjusted to fit the dark and mysterious tone of the tweets, as depicted in the snapshot of Near Protocol’s altered X account and associated posts below.

Near Protocol did not respond to CryptoMoon’s request for comment.

In the crypto world of X and among blockchain sleuths, there are suspicions of a potential takeover. Yet, as I pen this down, an authoritative verification is still lacking.

A few backers of the protocol interpret the tweets as an indication of larger developments on the horizon for the ecosystem.

Earlier in January, the X account of the cryptocurrency data aggregator CoinGecko was hacked and subsequently utilized to carry out a phishing scheme. Fortunately, the company was able to reclaim control over its social media platform after prompt action was taken.

Approximately at the same time, the Near Foundation, responsible for creating their eponymous layer-1 protocol, reduced their workforce by 40%. This was done in order to streamline their core team and concentrate on a more focused and impactful set of projects.

As a crypto investor and holder of Near tokens, I understand that the company made the tough choice to let go of approximately 35 team members from the marketing, business development, and community departments. This decision was communicated with the statement released by the company at the time.

“The Near Foundation will provide support to affected colleagues during this time to help them find new opportunities in the NEAR ecosystem, the Web3 industry, and beyond.”

After an assessment that identified ineffectiveness in the Foundation’s operations, layoffs ensued. The Foundation intends to shrink its presence as the decentralized ecosystem continues to progress towards its fully distributed form over the next few years.

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2024-05-09 10:36