Supreme Court of India’s YouTube hacked

Hackers have taken over the official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India to promote a fake cryptocurrency scheme involving Ripple’s XRP token.

According to India Times, the channel was taken over on September 20 and quickly rebranded to be used to livestream a fake video featuring Ripple (XRP) CEO Brad Garlinghouse, encouraging viewers to invest in the scam.

To make the scam seem legitimate, the hackers changed the channel’s name and deleted all previous videos. The livestream also included phishing links asking viewers to connect their cryptocurrency wallets, according to X screenshots.

Once connected, hackers can take control of wallets and steal funds without further permission from the user. One of the icons on the YouTube video read, “Ripple to reach $2 this month.”

YouTube responded by quickly removing the channel, citing violations of its community guidelines. This isn’t the first time hackers have used popular platforms like YouTube to promote cryptocurrency scams.

The attack was particularly alarming in India, where the Supreme Court’s YouTube account is used to livestream important cases, given the court’s importance.

Crypto Scams

Cryptocurrency scams, particularly those that target users with fake investment opportunities, often take advantage of people’s unfamiliarity with digital currencies like XRP, created by Ripple Labs to facilitate cross-border payments. Hackers target high-profile platforms to lend a semblance of credibility to their scams.

In July 2023, Attorney Jeremy Hogan’s Twitter account was hacked and used to promote fake XRP giveaways related to the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit. Fellow attorneys Jesse Hynes and James Filan warned the public about the compromised account and cautioned them to be careful.

The Supreme Court’s channel is now offline, but the breach highlights growing concerns about online security, especially as more public bodies use digital platforms to interact with the public.