--- title: "Hackers Plunder “Cryptocurrency City” That Had Promised “Dank Memes”" description: "A \"decentralized autonomous organization\" called CityDAO was hoping to turn 40 acres in Wyoming into a crypto city — but they got hacked." date: "2022-01-14" modified: "2022-01-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/hackers-plunder-cryptocurrency-city" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" tags: - "blockchain" - "cryptocurrencies" - "dao" - "ethereum" --- # Hackers Plunder “Cryptocurrency City” That Had Promised “Dank Memes” ![A "decentralized autonomous organization" called CityDAO was hoping to turn 40 acres in Wyoming into a crypto city — but they got hacked.]() *\Image: CityDAO via Twitter\* A "decentralized autonomous organization" called CityDAO was hoping to turn 40 acres in Wyoming into a "cryptocurrency city" — but their plans have [now been targeted ]()by hackers who successfully got away with members' funds. The incident is yet another reminder that cryptocurrency technologies may be relatively secure in and of themselves, but the software used by their communities — in this case Discord —remains to be as vulnerable to hackers as ever. "EMERGENCY NOTICE," a [Twitter update]() by the group poste on Monday reads. "A CityDAO Discord admin account has been hacked. THERE IS NO LAND DROP. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR WALLET." CityDAO [claimed in November]() to have become the first DAO to officially own land. "This parcel is a proof of concept parcel — it’s not in the most convenient location nor does it have an abundance of natural resources," the group [tweeted at the time](). "It does have a well for water, a flat area for building, and is 45 minutes from an airport." "Each parcel of land is an NFT that can be owned collectively by the DAO collectively or by individuals," reads [CityDAO's website](). The goal of the city is to "build the future of real estate ownership on chain with Solidity and Web3" — and of course "make dank memes." DAOs have skyrocketed in popularity in the past year or so, promising community members equally divided representation as a way to be a part of a larger project. For instance, ConstitutionDAO recently [attempted to purchase an original copy]() of the United States Constitution with $40 million in crypto last year — before being [outbid by a hedge fund billionaire](). But the cracks are starting to show. Hackers saw an easy target in CityDAO and managed to gain access to an admin Discord account and make a fake "land drop" from the compromised account. The infiltrator — or infiltrators — reportedly [got away with $95,000 worth]() of Ethereum. One CityDAO victim [tweeted on Tuesday]() that the attack was "a ridiculous security breach from Discord" that allowed the hacker to "bypass two-factor authentication and password." "I ask everyone to please be extremely careful when clicking on links in servers, connecting your wallets to applications and just activities online in general," they added in a [follow-up tweet](). "We are trying our best to resolve the issue in the best outcome possible so please bare with us." The incident likely won't be the last. Less than a month ago, different scammers pulled off a similar hack, [*CoinDesk* points out](), getting away with around $150,000 in crypto. Those interested to get into the DAO space should watch their backs, in other words. With all the attention they've been getting, hackers are starting to circle like sharks. **READ MORE:** [People Building ‘Blockchain City’ in Wyoming Scammed by Hackers]() \[*Vice*\] **More on blockchain:** [In Further Evidence of Deranged Financial Bubble, Investors Are Paying Millions for Virtual Real Estate]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()