The surge in TON ecosystem users indicates potential risks behind it.

Recently, the number of users in The Open Network (TON) ecosystem has surged dramatically, a phenomenon that brings both opportunities and potential security risks. This article will delve into the current state of the TON ecosystem and the risks it may face.

The number of TON users has surged

According to statistics from the data platform, as of July 2, the monthly active users of the TON network surged from 228,000 at the beginning of the year to 4.64 million. This significant growth is largely attributed to the popularity of click games based on Telegram. For example, the popular game Notcoin attracted 35 million users by rewarding them for clicking the screen, while Hamster Kombat claims to have reached a total of 200 million users.

However, most of these newly joined users are not seasoned players in the cryptocurrency field. Under the viral gaming experience, many are encountering wallets and seed phrases for the first time. Due to a lack of proper understanding of the irreversibility of blockchain transactions and the potential risks, these new users are highly susceptible to becoming victims of scams and hacking attacks.

Security Challenges Facing the TON Ecosystem

As a non-EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) compatible blockchain, TON has not yet integrated the mature and advanced security tools available on EVM. This means that the security measures on the TON network may not be as comprehensive as those of other mainstream blockchains.

In addition to common scams such as zero-amount transfer scams and NFT airdrop phishing, a typical transaction message scam has also emerged on TON. Scammers use the note function during the TON transfer process to add misleading information, tricking users into sending tokens.

By tracking a scam address, it was found that the address profited approximately 22,000 TON tokens worth about 1.28 million RMB in just two months. This simple yet effective scam fully exposes the problem of new users' insufficient understanding of the blockchain transaction mechanism.

In addition, some malware developers have also set their sights on the TON ecosystem. They have developed and rented software specifically designed to illegally empty cryptocurrency wallets, further increasing the security risks to user assets.

Security Recommendations

In the face of these potential threats, users should remain vigilant and take the following measures to protect their assets:

1. Learn to use the TON browser to improve the ability to identify suspicious transactions.
2. Be wary of unwarranted empty investments and do not trust easily.
3. Treat promises in trade remarks with caution, especially those that seem unrealistic.
4. Enhance understanding of the fundamental principles of blockchain, especially the irreversibility of transactions.
5. Regularly update security knowledge and pay attention to the latest scams and protective methods.

As the user base of TON continues to expand, how to ensure asset security while protecting user privacy has become an urgent issue to be addressed. While security experts work to eliminate threats, the enhancement of users' own security awareness is equally important. Only through the joint efforts of users and platforms can a safer and healthier cryptocurrency ecosystem be built.