Hackers are abusing the Claude Code vulnerability to target cryptocurrency users

In mid-January, a high-severity vulnerability targeting Anthropic’s flagship product Claude Code was exposed, making it the latest attack target for hackers. According to findings from the security research firm SlowMist, this vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary system commands directly, completely bypassing user authorization. This means malicious hackers can gain full control of the affected system without the user’s knowledge.

Vulnerability Details: System Control Without Authorization

The vulnerability is assigned CVE-2025-64755 and falls under privilege escalation and command execution categories. Compared to typical security issues, privilege escalation vulnerabilities are far more dangerous—they enable hackers to upgrade from limited permissions to full administrative rights, allowing deep intrusion into the target system. Researchers have already released proof-of-concept (PoC) code, further lowering the barrier for attackers.

SlowMist security researchers noted that this vulnerability shares similarities with a related issue exposed months ago in the programming tool Cursor, both exploiting flaws in code execution protections. This indicates systemic security design problems within AI programming tools.

Crypto Community Becomes a Target

Worryingly, hackers have already begun weaponizing this vulnerability. According to SlowMist’s monitoring, phishing hackers are exploiting this flaw to target cryptocurrency users. Attackers often lure victims with fake emails or links, prompting them to open malicious Claude Code projects. Once opened, hidden malicious code is triggered, granting hackers full control over the victim’s computer.

User Protection Is Urgent

For crypto users who frequently use AI programming tools, it’s time to act. First, immediately update Anthropic products to the latest version. Second, be cautious before opening code from untrusted sources, especially when receiving suspicious emails or messages. Additionally, enabling system-level protections, such as running code in sandboxed environments, can effectively reduce the risk of exploitation.

Crypto user groups have always been prime targets for hackers. This Claude Code vulnerability incident serves as a stark reminder that security measures must never be relaxed.