I almost got hacked by a 'job interview'

I was 30 seconds away from running malware on my machine.

The attack vector? A fake coding interview from a "legitimate" blockchain company.

Here's how a sophisticated scam operation almost got me, and why every developer needs to read this.

The Setup

Last week, I got a LinkedIn message from Mykola Yanchii. Chief Blockchain Officer at Symfa. Real company. Real LinkedIn profile. 1,000+ connections. The works.

The message was smooth. Professional. "We're developing BestCity, a platform aimed at transforming real estate workflows. Part-time roles available. Flexible structure."

I've been freelancing for 8 years. Built web applications, worked on various projects, done my share of code reviews. I'm usually paranoid about security - or so I thought.

This looked legit. So I said yes to the call.

The Hook

Before our meeting, Mykola sent me a "test project" - standard practice for tech interviews. A React/Node codebase to evaluate my skills. 30-minute test. Simple enough.

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