Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath’s X Account Hacked In Phishing Attack

Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath disclosed on Thursday that his personal X account was hacked after he fell victim to a phishing email, according to Indian Express. Kamath revealed that the breach occurred early Wednesday morning while he was at home.

In a social media post, Kamath explained that the phishing email bypassed all spam and phishing filters. “In a momentary lapse in attention,” he clicked on a link titled ‘Change Your Password’ and unknowingly submitted his login credentials, Indian Express reported.

The attackers reportedly accessed a single login session and used it to post scam cryptocurrency links. Kamath stated that his two-factor authentication (2FA) prevented the hackers from fully taking over the account.

Kamath noted that the phishing attempt appeared to be AI-driven rather than specifically targeted at him. “Goes on to show that no matter how careful we are, all it takes is one slip of the mind,” he wrote. He highlighted the importance of human processes, policies, and procedures in cybersecurity, saying that technical measures alone cannot address human errors.

“2FA is absolutely essential, but clearly, it is not a technical solution to human psychology. This is why it is so important for cybersecurity frameworks within organisations and governments to be holistic and not fixate on technical solutions,” Kamath added, according to Indian Express.

The disclosure has prompted widespread reactions on social media. One user advised manually accessing applications to change passwords rather than clicking email links, while another noted the importance of scrutinising the sender’s email address, particularly when checking emails early in the morning.

A third user suggested that email providers should highlight domains more clearly to improve awareness before users act on potentially malicious emails.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)