Fake Hyperliquid Google ad linked to Inferno drainer steals USDC

A Hyperliquid user has lost about 550,000 USDC after a Google sponsored advertisement directed the victim to a fake version of the decentralized trading platform, with investigators linking the theft infrastructure to the Inferno drainer ecosystem. Summary A Hyperliquid user lost about 550,000 USDC after clicking a Google sponsored ad for a fake website. Salus linked the attack infrastructure to the Inferno drainer ecosystem. The backend automatically split the stolen funds among addresses tied to the operation. Groups linked to the infrastructure were connected to about $52.74 million in losses. Blockchain security firm Salus said in an Aug. 24 post on X that the theft took place on Aug. 13 and involved a counterfeit Hyperliquid website promoted through paid Google search results. After tracing the stolen funds and reviewing the infrastructure behind the page, the firm said it connected the operation to a professional drainer-as-a-service network associated with Inferno. On August 13, 2026, a fake Hyperliquid website promoted through Google sponsored ads caused a victim to lose 550k USDC.After cross-checking the subsequent fund flows, we confirmed that the case involved profession...