In recent times, YouTube has become a battleground for cybercriminals who hack into creators’ channels to promote cryptocurrency scams, particularly XRP.
One such incident occurred when the popular YouTuber DidYouKnowGaming’s channel was compromised, but YouTube’s quick action helped avert a potential scam.
A rising trend in hacked YouTube channels
In the latest instance of YouTube channels being targeted, DidYouKnowGaming, a creator with 2.4 million subscribers, alerted his Twitter followers about his channel being hacked.
The anonymous hacker accessed the channel and replaced the profile and cover images with Ripple’s logo. The company’s prompt intervention prevented further damage, stopping the hacker from interacting with the channel’s subscribers.
This follows a recent case involving Linus Tech Tips, another prominent YouTube creator who reported losing access to his channels.
Although the technique hackers employ to access these accounts remains unknown, the victims have been able to regain control of their channels and restore any deleted content.
Deepfakes and the threat to crypto investors
The increasing prevalence of deepfakes—AI-generated impersonation videos—has elevated the risk to crypto investors.
Hackers often use deepfakes to create false videos of high-profile entrepreneurs, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with the intent of misleading cryptocurrency investors.
In the past week, at least two gaming-centric YouTube channels fell victim to hacks: DidYouKnowGaming, which focuses on gaming history, and Super Beard Bros, a let’s-play-based channel. Shane Gill, the creator of DidYouKnowGaming, first reported the hack in a tweet.
The compromised channel was promptly rebranded by the scammers, who promoted Ripple, a cryptocurrency company with a controversial reputation.
While it remains unclear whether there is a direct connection between Ripple and the hackers, the scammers seemingly aimed to impersonate Ripple to deceive the channel’s 2.39 million subscribers.
Following the hack, all videos on the channel were privatized, but its sister channel, DYKG Clips, remained unaffected.
Regaining control and the aftermath
Shortly after the DidYouKnowGaming incident, Super Beard Bros, featuring Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, Alex Faciane, and Brett Bayonne, also experienced a hack. Khalil stated they were “working to get this fixed ASAP.”
The team eventually regained control of their YouTube channel, but they had to republish all the videos. Unfortunately, the platform’s subscription feed malfunctioned, causing additional headaches during the recovery process.
YouTube’s rapid response in these situations has been crucial in minimizing the impact of such hacking attempts, but creators and investors alike must remain vigilant to protect themselves from scams and cyber threats.
