A cybercriminal in Alabama, suspected of hacking into the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) X account, has been arrested. He is accused of using the compromised account to post fake messages, causing the value of Bitcoin to boost by $1,000. Hacker Eric Council Jr, also known as “EasyMunny” and “AGiantSchnauzer,” was allegedly able to secure the credentials for the SEC’s X account through a method called “Sim Swapping.” The council created a fake ID using the stolen personal information of someone who had access to the X account. With the fake ID, he was able to purchase a SIM card linked to the victim’s phone in a cellphone provider store in Alabama, giving Council access to the victim’s personal information and log-in credentials.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirmed through a spokesperson and social media announcements that the agency's X (formerly Twitter) account was compromised to promote Bitcoin ETFs. Bitcoin's value spiked to nearly $48k as a result of the false Tweet, despite being taken down just 30 minutes after being published.
Hunt & Hackett uncovered information on “Sea Turtle”, a Turkish-affiliated cyber espionage group that shifted focus to target Netherlands-based organizations. "Sea Turtle" was found to launch politically motivated evasive info-stealing campaigns targeting Dutch government, telco, media, and NGO organizations.
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