{"investigation":{"slug":"superteam","entity_name":"Superteam","trust_score":72,"severity_base":null,"score_modifier":20,"confidence":0.45,"status":"published","content_type":"investigation","summary":"Superteam is a community-run talent network and grant accelerator operating as the contributor layer of the Solana ecosystem, founded by Tanmay Bhat and Akshay BD and active across 23+ global chapters. The organization has been flagged for investigation by ZachXBT, though no published, verifiable ZachXBT post or report specifically naming Superteam as a fraudulent entity was located during this investigation; the exact nature and basis of that flag remains unconfirmed. Separately, Superteam Earn — the organization's public freelance bounty and job platform — operates within a segment of the Solana ecosystem that regulators, Google Cloud threat intelligence, and on-chain investigators have identified as systematically targeted by DPRK-linked IT workers using false identities.","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://superteam.fun/","name":"Superteam Official Website","type":"official","credibility":2},{"url":"https://solanacompass.com/projects/superteam","name":"Superteam on Solana: Project Review, Programs, Token, Metrics | Solana Compass","type":"research","credibility":2},{"url":"https://superteam.fun/earn/grants/solana-foundation-usa-grants","name":"Solana Foundation USA Grants | Superteam Earn","type":"official","credibility":2}],"severity":"low"},{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://t.me/s/investigations","name":"ZachXBT Telegram — Investigations (searched, no Superteam posts found)","type":"social_media","credibility":3},{"url":"https://x.com/zachxbt","name":"ZachXBT on X (@zachxbt)","type":"social_media","credibility":3},{"url":"https://zachxbt.mirror.xyz/","name":"ZachXBT Mirror publication","type":"other","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/1940388827392344261","name":"ZachXBT on X — $16.58M in DPRK IT worker payments since Jan 2025","type":"social_media","credibility":2},{"url":"https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/dprk-it-workers-expanding-scope-scale","name":"DPRK IT Workers Expanding in Scope and Scale | Google Cloud Blog","type":"research","credibility":1},{"url":"https://decrypt.co/312797/north-korean-it-workers-infiltrated-european-solana-based-projects-google","name":"North Korean IT Workers Infiltrated European Solana-Based Projects: Google — Decrypt","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.banklesstimes.com/articles/2026/04/07/zachxbt-solana-defi-app-elementaldefi-hired-dprk-it-worker-for-years/","name":"ZachXBT: Solana DeFi App ElementalDeFi Hired DPRK IT Worker for Years | BanklessTimes","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/396847/zachxbt-uncovers-north-korea-linked-it-worker-network-generating-1m-monthly-via-crypto-payment-flows","name":"ZachXBT uncovers North Korea-linked IT worker network generating $1M monthly | The Block","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://protos.com/solana-dex-stabble-urges-liquidity-exit-after-alleged-dprk-mole-revealed/","name":"Solana DEX Stabble urges liquidity exit after alleged DPRK mole revealed | Protos","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"},{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/__BigJo/status/1897186206028599307","name":"BIG JO on X — Superteam Earn crime allegation thread (Feb 2025)","type":"social_media","credibility":3},{"url":"https://www.producthunt.com/products/superteam-earn/reviews","name":"Superteam Earn Customer Reviews (2025) | Product Hunt","type":"community_report","credibility":3}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://superteam.fun/","name":"Superteam Official Website — organizational structure","type":"official","credibility":2},{"url":"https://docs.superteam.fun/the-superteam-handbook/products/superteam-earn","name":"Superteam Earn | The Superteam Handbook","type":"official","credibility":2},{"url":"https://solana.org/grants-funding","name":"Solana Foundation Grants and Funding Program","type":"official","credibility":1}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"","heading":"","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/02/google-warns-solana-projects-that-north-koreans-are-increasingly-targeting-european-projects","name":"Solana Projects in Europe Being Targeted by North Korea, Google Cloud Warns | CoinDesk","type":"news_article","credibility":1},{"url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/285-million-drift-hack-traced-to-six.html","name":"$285 Million Drift Hack Traced to Six-Month DPRK Social Engineering Operation | Hacker News","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading | The Block","type":"news_article","credibility":1},{"url":"https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/solana-exchange-stabble-warns-users-212034923.html","name":"Solana DEX Stabble Warns Users to Pull Liquidity After North Korean Hacker Scare | Yahoo Finance","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2021-01-01","event":"Superteam founded by Tanmay Bhat and Akshay BD as a community DAO to support Solana ecosystem builders, initially focused on India.","source":"Superteam Official Website / Solana Compass","source_url":"https://solanacompass.com/projects/superteam"},{"date":"2022-01-01","event":"Superteam Earn launched as a platform aggregating Solana bounties, grants, and freelance job listings; escrow payment system implemented.","source":"Superteam Earn Product Hunt listing","source_url":"https://www.producthunt.com/products/superteam-earn"},{"date":"2024-08-15","event":"ZachXBT publicly alleges that a single entity in Asia (possibly North Korea) employs 21 developers working on 25+ crypto projects, earning $500K/month. DPRK targeting of Solana-adjacent platforms documented.","source":"ZachXBT on X / CoinTelegraph","source_url":"https://www.tradingview.com/news/cointelegraph:00777747d094b:0-zachxbt-claims-21-north-korea-crypto-devs-are-making-500k-a-month/"},{"date":"2025-02-01","event":"Social media posts allege fraud and non-payment by projects listed on Superteam Earn, with one post claiming 'the crime that goes on on superteam earn is out of this world.' Superteam-affiliated account defends the platform's role as a neutral marketplace.","source":"X/Twitter — @__BigJo","source_url":"https://x.com/__BigJo/status/1897186206028599307"},{"date":"2025-04-02","event":"Google Cloud Threat Intelligence Group warns that North Korean IT workers are specifically targeting European Solana projects and Solana job boards, expanding from previous US-focused operations.","source":"CoinDesk / Google Cloud Blog","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/02/google-warns-solana-projects-that-north-koreans-are-increasingly-targeting-european-projects"},{"date":"2025-06-01","event":"ZachXBT traces the $680,000 Favrr exploit to DPRK operatives who had posed as legitimate developers; CTO 'Alex Hong' identified as North Korean. DPRK developer infiltration of Solana projects escalates.","source":"ZachXBT / CryptoPotato","source_url":"https://cryptopotato.com/zachxbt-uncovers-3-5m-operation-by-north-korean-fake-devs-inside-crypto-firms/"},{"date":"2026-02-26","event":"ZachXBT publishes investigation into insider trading at Axiom, a Solana trading platform — another Solana-adjacent platform fraud case.","source":"The Block","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading"},{"date":"2026-04-01","event":"Drift Protocol on Solana exploited for $285 million in a confirmed DPRK-attributed six-month social engineering operation, the largest Solana hack to date.","source":"Hacker News / TRM Labs / Chainalysis","source_url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/285-million-drift-hack-traced-to-six.html"},{"date":"2026-04-07","event":"ZachXBT alleges ElementalDeFi, a Solana DeFi project, hired a DPRK IT worker for years using a false identity. Stabble, a Solana DEX, urgently warns liquidity providers after a former employee is identified as a North Korean operative who also worked for Elemental.","source":"BanklessTimes / Protos","source_url":"https://www.banklesstimes.com/articles/2026/04/07/zachxbt-solana-defi-app-elementaldefi-hired-dprk-it-worker-for-years/"}],"sources_used":[{"url":"https://superteam.fun/","name":"Superteam Official Website","type":"official","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260629173939/https://superteam.fun/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-06-29T17:39:39+00:00"},{"url":"https://solanacompass.com/projects/superteam","name":"Superteam on Solana — Solana Compass","type":"research","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260315104532/https://solanacompass.com/projects/superteam","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-15T10:45:32+00:00"},{"url":"https://earn.superteam.fun/","name":"Superteam Earn Platform","type":"official","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260115092237/https://earn.superteam.fun/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-01-15T09:22:37+00:00"},{"url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/1940388827392344261","name":"ZachXBT on X — DPRK payment investigation thread","type":"social_media","archive_url":null,"credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":null},{"url":"https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/dprk-it-workers-expanding-scope-scale","name":"DPRK IT Workers Expanding in Scope and Scale — Google Cloud Blog","type":"research","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260608022448/https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/dprk-it-workers-expanding-scope-scale/","credibility":1,"archive_timestamp":"2026-06-08T02:24:48+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/396847/zachxbt-uncovers-north-korea-linked-it-worker-network-generating-1m-monthly-via-crypto-payment-flows","name":"ZachXBT uncovers North Korea-linked IT worker network generating $1M monthly — The Block","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260410063840/https://www.theblock.co/post/396847/zachxbt-uncovers-north-korea-linked-it-worker-network-generating-1m-monthly-via-crypto-payment-flows","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-10T06:38:40+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.banklesstimes.com/articles/2026/04/07/zachxbt-solana-defi-app-elementaldefi-hired-dprk-it-worker-for-years/","name":"ZachXBT: Solana DeFi App ElementalDeFi Hired DPRK IT Worker for Years — BanklessTimes","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260528034346/https://www.banklesstimes.com/articles/2026/04/07/zachxbt-solana-defi-app-elementaldefi-hired-dprk-it-worker-for-years/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-05-28T03:43:46+00:00"},{"url":"https://protos.com/solana-dex-stabble-urges-liquidity-exit-after-alleged-dprk-mole-revealed/","name":"Solana DEX Stabble urges liquidity exit after alleged DPRK mole — Protos","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260720143104/https://protos.com/solana-dex-stabble-urges-liquidity-exit-after-alleged-dprk-mole-revealed/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-20T14:31:04+00:00"},{"url":"https://decrypt.co/312797/north-korean-it-workers-infiltrated-european-solana-based-projects-google","name":"North Korean IT Workers Infiltrated European Solana-Based Projects — Decrypt","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260410082717/https://decrypt.co/312797/north-korean-it-workers-infiltrated-european-solana-based-projects-google","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-10T08:27:17+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/02/google-warns-solana-projects-that-north-koreans-are-increasingly-targeting-european-projects","name":"Solana Projects in Europe Being Targeted by North Korea, Google Cloud Warns — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20250913072017/https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/02/google-warns-solana-projects-that-north-koreans-are-increasingly-targeting-european-projects","credibility":1,"archive_timestamp":"2025-09-13T07:20:17+00:00"},{"url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/285-million-drift-hack-traced-to-six.html","name":"$285 Million Drift Hack Traced to Six-Month DPRK Social Engineering Operation — Hacker News","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260714204042/https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/285-million-drift-hack-traced-to-six.html","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-14T20:40:42+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading — The 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Channel","type":"social_media","archive_url":null,"credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":null}],"source_tags":[],"addresses":[],"reviewed":true,"reviewed_by":null,"model_used":"claude-sonnet-4-5","created_at":"2026-05-28T02:26:44.47588+00:00","updated_at":"2026-07-25T06:29:45.53131+00:00"}}