By BigGo Finance
Publication Date: 2026-10-04 18:07:00
Hackers seized control of Microsoft’s official X account on October 1, briefly turning one of the platform’s most-followed corporate profiles into a promotional vehicle for a fraudulent cryptocurrency themed around Clippy, the retired animated paperclip assistant. The company confirmed the breach in a statement to The Verge, saying the account has since been secured and the unauthorized posts removed.
The @Microsoft account, which counts more than 13 million followers, began following a crypto account called @clippymsftcto, reposted one of its messages, and had its profile picture swapped to Clippy during the takeover. The attackers used the nostalgic character to push a token dubbed $Clippy, promising that Microsoft would bring the assistant back if a post reached 500,000 likes.
Promotional material also claimed the token was paired with Microsoft stock, using the label “MSTF” to suggest a corporate connection. No legitimate relationship supported that claim, and X suspended the…
