Can AI bots steal your cryptocurrency? Learn about the rise of digital thieves

AI robots steal cryptocurrency, and there are already victims, watch it now!

In the era of the dual-track boom of cryptocurrency and AI technology, digital asset security is facing unprecedented challenges. This article reveals how AI robots use automated attacks, deep learning and large-scale penetration capabilities to turn the crypto field into a new criminal battlefield - from precision phishing to smart contract vulnerability harvesting, from deep fake fraud to adaptive malware, the means of attack have exceeded the limits of traditional human defense. In the face of this game between algorithms, users need to be wary of AI-enabled "digital thieves" and make good use of AI-driven defense tools. Only by maintaining technical vigilance and security practices can we defend the fortress of wealth in the stormy waves of the crypto world.

TL;DR

AI robots have the ability to self-evolve and can automatically execute massive encryption attacks, with attack efficiency far exceeding that of human hackers

In 2024, AI phishing attacks have caused a single loss of US$65 million, and fake airdrop websites can automatically empty user wallets

GPT-3-level AI can directly analyze smart contract vulnerabilities. Similar technologies have led to Fei Protocol was stolen for $80 million

AI analyzes password leak data through brute force to establish a predictive model, and the protection time of weak password wallets is shortened by 90%

Fake CEO videos/audios created by deep fake technology are becoming a new social engineering weapon to induce transfers

AI as a service tools such as WormGPT have appeared in the black market, and non-technical personnel can also generate customized phishing attacks

BlackMamba proof-of-concept malware uses AI to rewrite code in real time, and mainstream security systems are 100% undetectable

Hardware wallets store private keys offline, which can effectively defend against 99% of AI remote attacks (such as the FTX incident in 2022)

AI social botnets can simultaneously control millions of accounts, and the amount involved in Musk's deep fake video fraud case exceeded $46 million

1. What is an AI robot?

AI robots are self-learning software that can automate and continuously optimize cyber attacks, making them more dangerous than traditional hacking methods.

The core of today's AI-driven cybercrime lies in AI robots - these self-learning software programs are designed to process massive amounts of data, make independent decisions, and perform complex tasks without human intervention. While these bots have become a disruptive force in industries like finance, healthcare, and customer service, they have also become a weapon for cybercriminals, especially in the cryptocurrency space.

Unlike traditional hacking methods that rely on manual operations and technical expertise, AI bots can fully automate attacks, adapt to new cryptocurrency security measures, and even optimize strategies over time. This makes them far superior to human hackers who are limited by time, resources, and error-prone processes.

2. Why are AI bots so dangerous?

The biggest threat of AI cybercrime is scale. A single hacker trying to break into an exchange or trick a user into handing over their private keys has limited capabilities, but AI bots can launch thousands of attacks simultaneously and optimize their tactics in real time.

Speed: AI bots can scan millions of blockchain transactions, smart contracts, and websites in minutes, identifying wallet vulnerabilities (which lead to wallet hacks), DeFi protocols, and exchange weaknesses.

Scalability: While a human scammer might send hundreds of phishing emails, an AI bot can send personalized, carefully crafted phishing emails to millions of people in the same amount of time.

Adaptability: Machine learning allows these bots to evolve from each failure, making them more difficult to detect and block.

This automation, adaptability, and ability to attack at scale has led to a surge in AI-driven crypto scams, making it more critical than ever to prevent crypto fraud.

In October 2024, Andy Ayrey, the developer of the AI ​​robot Truth Terminal, had his account X hacked. The attacker used his account to promote a fraudulent meme coin called Infinite Backrooms (IB), causing the market value of IB to soar to $25 million. Within 45 minutes, the perpetrators sold their positions and made a profit of more than $600,000.

3. How do AI robots steal crypto assets?

AI robots not only automate fraud, but also tend to be smart, precise, and difficult to detect. The following are the types of dangerous AI scams currently used to steal crypto assets:

AI-driven phishing robots

Traditional phishing attacks are not new in the crypto space, but AI makes them more threatening. Today's AI robots can create messages that are highly similar to official communications from platforms such as Coinbase or MetaMask, and collect personal information through leaked databases, social media, and even blockchain records, making the scam extremely convincing.

For example, in early 2024, an AI phishing attack against Coinbase users defrauded nearly $65 million through fake security alert emails. In addition, after the release of GPT-4, scammers set up fake OpenAI token airdrop websites to trick users into automatically emptying their assets after connecting to their wallets.

These AI-enhanced phishing attacks often have no spelling errors or poor wording, and some even deploy AI customer service robots to defraud private keys or 2FA codes in the name of "verification". In 2022, the Mars Stealer malware can steal private keys for more than 40 wallet plugins and 2FA applications, often spread through phishing links or pirated tools.

AI vulnerability scanning robots

Smart contract vulnerabilities are a gold mine for hackers, and artificial intelligence robots are exploiting them at an unprecedented rate. These robots constantly scan platforms such as Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain for vulnerabilities in newly deployed DeFi projects. Once a problem is detected, they will automatically exploit it, usually within minutes.

Researchers have demonstrated that AI chatbots, such as those powered by GPT-3, can analyze smart contract code to identify exploitable weaknesses. For example, Zellic co-founder Stephen Tong demonstrated an AI chatbot that detected a vulnerability in a smart contract’s “withdrawal” function similar to the one exploited in the Fei Protocol attack, which caused $80 million in losses.

AI-enhanced brute force attacks

Brute force attacks used to take a long time, but AI bots have made them incredibly efficient. By analyzing previous password breaches, these bots can quickly identify patterns in cracking passwords and seed phrases at record speeds. A 2024 study of desktop cryptocurrency wallets, including Sparrow, Etherwall, and Bither, found that weak passwords significantly reduced resistance to brute force attacks, highlighting how strong and complex passwords are essential for protecting digital assets.

Deepfake Impersonation Bots

Imagine seeing a video of a trusted cryptocurrency influencer or CEO asking you to invest—but it’s completely fake. That’s the reality of AI-powered deepfake scams. These bots create hyper-realistic videos and recordings, even tricking savvy cryptocurrency holders into transferring funds.

Social Media Botnets

On platforms like X and Telegram, a large number of AI-powered bots are spreading cryptocurrency scams on a massive scale. Botnets like “Fox8” use ChatGPT to generate hundreds of convincing posts hyping scam tokens and responding to users in real time.

In one case, scammers abused the names of Elon Musk and ChatGPT to promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways — complete with deepfake videos of Musk — to trick people into sending money to the scammers.

In 2023, Sophos researchers found that crypto love scammers used ChatGPT to chat with multiple victims at once, making their affectionate messages more convincing and scalable.

Similarly, Meta reported a sharp rise in malware and phishing links disguised as ChatGPT or AI tools, which are often associated with cryptocurrency fraud schemes. In the realm of romance scams, AI is driving so-called pig-killing operations — long-term scams where scammers cultivate relationships and then lure victims into fake cryptocurrency investments. In 2024, a high-profile case occurred in Hong Kong: police busted a criminal gang that defrauded men across Asia of $46 million through AI-assisted romance scams.

How AI-powered malware is fueling cybercrime against crypto users

AI is teaching cybercriminals how to hack into crypto platforms, enabling a group of less skilled attackers to launch credible attacks. This helps explain why crypto phishing and malware campaigns are so large — AI tools allow bad guys to automate scams and continually improve based on what works.

AI is also enhancing malware threats and hacking strategies targeting cryptocurrency users. One concern is AI-generated malware, which uses AI to adapt and evade detection.

In 2023, researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept called BlackMamba, a polymorphic keylogger that uses AI language models (like the technology behind ChatGPT) to rewrite its code each time it is executed. This means that every time BlackMamba is run, it generates new variations of itself in memory, helping it evade detection by antivirus and endpoint security tools.

In testing, industry-leading endpoint detection and response systems failed to detect this AI-crafted malware. Once activated, it can secretly capture everything a user enters (including cryptocurrency exchange passwords or wallet seed phrases) and send this data to attackers.

While BlackMamba is just a lab demo, it highlights a real threat: criminals can use AI to create shapeshifting malware that targets cryptocurrency accounts and is harder to catch than traditional viruses.

Even without exotic AI malware, threat actors are taking advantage of the popularity of AI to spread classic Trojans. Scammers often set up fake "ChatGPT" or AI-related applications containing malware, knowing that users may let their guard down because of the AI ​​branding. For example, security analysts observed fraudulent websites impersonating ChatGPT websites with a "Windows Download" button; if clicked, it quietly installed a cryptocurrency-stealing Trojan on the victim's machine.

In addition to the malware itself, AI also lowers the technical barriers for hackers. Previously, criminals needed some coding knowledge to create phishing pages or viruses. Now, underground "AI-as-a-service" tools can do most of the work.

Illegal AI chatbots such as WormGPT and FraudGPT have appeared on dark web forums, generating phishing emails, malware code, and hacking tips on demand. For a fee, even non-technical criminals can use these AI bots to create convincing scam websites, create new malware variants, and scan for software vulnerabilities.

5. How to protect your cryptocurrency from AI bots

AI-driven threats are becoming more and more advanced, so strong security measures are essential to protect digital assets from automated scams and hackers.

Here are the most effective ways to protect cryptocurrency from hackers and defend against AI phishing, deep fake scams, and vulnerability bots:

Use a hardware wallet: AI-driven malware and phishing attacks mainly target online (hot) wallets. By using a hardware wallet such as Ledger or Trezor, you can keep your private keys completely offline, making it almost impossible for hackers or malicious AI bots to access them remotely. For example, during the 2022 FTX crash, people who used hardware wallets avoided the huge losses suffered by users who stored their funds on the exchange.

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords: AI bots can exploit deep learning in cybercrime to crack weak passwords, using machine learning algorithms trained on leaked data breaches to predict and exploit vulnerable credentials. To combat this, always enable MFA through authenticator apps like Google Authenticator or Authy, rather than SMS-based codes—hackers have been known to exploit SIM swap vulnerabilities, making SMS verification less secure.

Be wary of AI-driven phishing scams: AI-generated phishing emails, messages, and fake support requests are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Avoid clicking on links in emails or direct messages, always manually verify website URLs, and never share private keys or seed phrases, no matter how convincing the request may seem.

Double-check identities and avoid deepfake scams: AI-driven deepfake videos and recordings can convincingly impersonate cryptocurrency influencers, executives, or even people you know. If someone asks for money or promotes an urgent investment opportunity via video or audio, verify their identity through multiple channels before taking action.

Stay up to date on blockchain security threats: Regularly monitor trusted blockchain security sources such as Chainalysis or SlowMist.