Hyderabad airport’s official X account was hacked in the early hours of Monday, October 19, with unauthorised posts promoting a cryptocurrency-related rewards programme appearing on its timeline before the account was restored by the airport authority.
The affected account, @RGIAHyd, published multiple posts at around 1.30 a.m. promoting “StonkFun Season 1”, an eligibility checker linked to the Stonk App and the Solana cryptocurrency ecosystem. The posts tagged several social media accounts and carried an image promoting the programme.
The posts described StonkFun as an activity-based rewards programme and urged users to check their eligibility. They also stated that the checker would remain open for only one day. The content was unrelated to airport operations and passenger services.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport authorities later regained access to the account and took steps to remove the unauthorised posts. In a statement, the airport said it had “promptly addressed an instance of unauthorised access to its official X account”.
“The account has been restored and is fully operational,” the statement said. The airport added that the incident had been reported to the relevant cybercrime authorities and X, and that a detailed investigation was underway.
The authority said the compromised social media account was not integrated with the airport’s internal systems. “Therefore, there is no impact on airport operations, passenger services, or operational systems,” it said.
The incident highlights the operational distinction between an organisation’s public communication channels and the systems used to manage airport services. While the airport said passenger services were unaffected, unauthorised posts on an official account can create confusion about legitimate notices, links and instructions shared with travellers.
For passengers, the immediate concern was whether the cryptocurrency posts were genuine airport communications. The airport’s clarification indicates that the content was unauthorised and that the account had been brought back under its control. No information in the supplied statement indicates that airport operational systems or passenger data were accessed.
The airport has not disclosed how the account was compromised, how long the unauthorised access lasted, or whether any users interacted with the cryptocurrency links. Those questions are part of the detailed investigation being conducted with the relevant cybercrime authorities and X.
The next steps identified by the airport are the investigation into the unauthorised access and continued coordination with cybercrime authorities and X. The airport has said its X account is restored and fully operational, while airport operations and passenger services continue without reported disruption.
