Key Takeaways:
- Hackers took control of the Supreme Court of India’s YouTube channel to promote a Ripple and XRP cryptocurrency scam.
- Cybercriminals used a fake livestream of Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to deceive viewers with false investment promises.
- YouTube shut down the channel, removing the rebranded content for violating Community Guidelines.
In a recent cybersecurity attack, hackers seized control of the Supreme Court of India’s official YouTube channel, which has over 217,000 subscribers, to promote a Ripple and XRP cryptocurrency scam.
The channel was rebranded on September 20, with cybercriminals broadcasting a fake livestream featuring a manipulated video of Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse.
The Supreme Court's YouTube channel appears compromised, with videos promoting Ripple Labs' XRP cryptocurrency and unrelated ads reported by users since Friday morning.
— Business Standard (@bsindia) September 20, 2024
To know more, read here#CyberSecurity #SupremeCourt #Ripple #YouTube @VMukherjee7 https://t.co/vaHmSO2Tvf pic.twitter.com/Wr1YD7ixRO
The scammers promised high returns on fake cryptocurrency investments, deceiving viewers.
During the hack, all original content on the channel was deleted, and the channel’s name and URL were altered.
#SupremeCourtOfIndia's #YouTube channel has been hacked, currently showing videos promoting #XRP.
— NDTV Profit (@NDTVProfitIndia) September 20, 2024
For the latest news and updates, visit: https://t.co/by4FF5o0Ew pic.twitter.com/MqkfpAxqXc
YouTube promptly took action, shutting down the compromised channel for violating its Community Guidelines.
These types of scams often use phishing links during livestreams to trick users into connecting their crypto wallets, allowing hackers to steal funds without further authentication.