Cyberattacks in the Crypto Sector: Solana Repels Massive DDoS Attack as Scammers Exploit the Holiday Season

Solana Under Fire: Massive Cyberattack Goes Unnoticed

The Solana blockchain has been under a massive cyberattack for several days, which most crypto investors have yet to notice. As Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko announced on December 9, the network is being subjected to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack at six terabits per second ^[2].

In a DDoS attack, numerous devices flood a target with traffic to overwhelm it and take it offline or slow it down ^[2]. David Rhodus, CEO of Solana-native DePIN project Pipe Network, described the attack as "industrial." Pipe Network further claimed it was "one of the largest in the history of the internet" ^[2].

Network Demonstrates Resilience

Despite the enormous load, the Solana network is showing remarkable stability. Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz explained: "By the way, Solana has been the victim of a massive DDoS attack for at least a week. The fact that you didn't notice says volumes about the high technical level here" ^[2].

Yakovenko even assessed the successful defense against the attack as "bullish" ^[2]. Pipe Network emphasized that "under such stress, one would normally expect increased latency, missed slots, or confirmation delays," yet the network showed no significant signs of overload ^[2].

Solana has struggled with network outages multiple times in the past. In December 2020, a bug caused it to halt, followed by an approximately 17-hour outage in September 2021. There were three outages in 2022, while the situation stabilized thereafter: the network experienced only one outage each in 2023 and 2024 ^[2].

Holidays as Peak Season for Crypto Scammers

Simultaneously, experts are warning of a massive increase in scams in the crypto sector during the holidays. The Christmas season creates ideal conditions for cybercriminals: people spend more time online, emotions run high, and many users are distracted by festivities ^[1].

Phishing attacks around Black Friday increased sixfold compared to early November, while Christmas-themed scams rose by over 300 percent during the busiest shopping week of the year ^[1].

Diverse Scam Tactics

Scammers employ various tactics: phishing emails disguise themselves as promotions from trusted exchanges like Coinbase or Binance, promising "holiday bonuses." Fake wallet apps in official app stores prompt users to enter their private keys ^[1].

Particularly insidious are so-called "pig butchering" scams. In one widely reported case, Philadelphia-based tech professional Shreya Datta lost $450,000 after meeting a supposed French wine merchant on the dating app Hinge. The scammer gained her trust over weeks and convinced her to invest in an apparently legitimate crypto trading platform ^[1].

In late 2025, authorities in London arrested five men suspected of operating crypto scams that may have cost victims more than one million British pounds ^[1].

Protective Measures

Experts recommend scrutinizing unsolicited offers skeptically, using only official apps, never sharing private keys or recovery phrases, and enabling two-factor authentication ^[1]. Especially during the emotionally charged holiday season, users should take time to verify sources before transferring funds ^[1].