YouTube helps recover hacked channel that attempted XRP crypto scams

Prominent YouTuber DidYouKnowGaming was able to regain access to his YouTube channel, which an anonymous bad actor hacked to promote XRP (XRP) cryptocurrency scams.

While hacking into YouTube channels to promote scams has been a long-standing method of targeting unwary investors, the number of creators on the platform reporting hacks has increased. Most recently, DidYouKnowGaming — a YouTuber with 2.4 million subscribers — warned his Twitter followers about a hack.

so sorry you’re having to deal with this! first, we’ll need to get some quick info from you & then we’ll connect you w/ a specialist team who helps restore account access. follow us & we’ll be able to DM you the info you need!

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) April 28, 2023

After gaining access to the account, the hacker changed the YouTuber’s profile and cover images to Ripple’s logo, as shown below.

Hacked YouTube account of DidYouKnowGaming. Source: Twitter

YouTube’s swift intervention ensured damage control by preventing XRP hackers to interact with the channel subscribers. Recently, one of the largest YouTube creators Linus Tech Tips reported losing access to his number of channels.

While the exploit used by the hackers to gain access to YouTube accounts remains a mystery, the victim YouTubers have always been able to recover their accounts and deleted videos, if any.

*hacker voice* I’m in pic.twitter.com/GRY6udVsZv

— DidYouKnowGaming (@didyouknowgamin) April 29, 2023

The threat to crypto investors from such hacks is prominent considering the rise of deepfakes — fake impersonation videos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools to spread misinformation.

Hackers often create deepfakes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk among other entrepreneurs to misguide crypto investors.

Yikes. Def not me.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 25, 2022

The concerns escalate as Chinese tech giant Tencent launched a new deepfakes-as-a-service, allowing users to impersonate anyone for $145 (1,000 yuan).

Deepfake version (left) created by Tencent Cloud’s AI service. Source: Tencent (via Jiemian)

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the service will be used by Tencent for hosting live-streamed infomercials for the Chinese demographic.

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