Fake crypto app on Apple App Store linked to $23K wallet theft

A fake cryptocurrency trading app called Padre Terminal, previously available on the Apple App Store for iOS devices, has been linked to the theft of approximately $23,000 from 27 Solana wallets.

Blockchain investigator Iris confirmed that one victim was compromised through the malicious App Store app, but has not determined how the other affected wallets were compromised.

The researcher says the app drains wallets after unsuspecting users import their private keys into it.

Padre was a cryptocurrency trading platform, mainly used to buy and sell meme coins on Solana. It was later renamed Terminal by pump.fun, a platform focused on creating, buying, and selling cryptocurrency “meme coins” on the Solana blockchain.

Iris says the legitimate Padre trading service, now Terminal by pump.fun, is web-only, so any mobile apps impersonating it, including the one previously available on the App Store, are malicious.