A crypto-themed Elon Musk video played on hacked YouTube channel of South Korean government

By: Dickson Arinze

September 4, 2022 10:47 PM

Following a proactive response from the South Korean government, the hacked YouTube account was restored in less than four hours, according to a local news agency.

According to reports, hackers changed the name of a South Korean government YouTube channel to SpaceX Invest and uploaded phony videos purporting to show Elon Musk discussing cryptocurrencies.

On September 3, a group of hackers temporarily renamed and took over the official South Korean government YouTube channel in order to broadcast crypto-related videos live. Yonhap News Agency confirmed a local report that the account was restored within four hours after proactive intervention (YNA).

An anonymous tipster in a foreign country sent YNA the above screenshot, which appears to show the compromised channel renamed as "SpaceX Invest" and now showing videos of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The hackers broke in because they gained access to the YouTube channel's ID and password. Reportedly, Google also confirmed the breach.