A major Australian broadcasting network had its YouTube channel hacked as its subscribers were suddenly exposed to AI deepfakes of Elon Musk promoting cryptocurrency scams.
According to News.com, all of Seven Network's YouTube channels were compromised on Thursday as it live-streams the same video of AI-generated Musk telling people to go to a website to deposit crypto investments.
(Photo : Towfiqu Barbhuiya via Unsplash)
Hacked Australian Network Channel Disguised to be Tesla's Account
All of the previous videos on the Australian network's channels have also been replaced with the same live stream while its channel profile was switched to look like the official Tesla channel.
One livestream even goes on for nearly five hours, recording over 45,000 concurrent viewers
As of writing, the livestreams have already been taken down with some of the affected channels currently inaccessible.
It remains uncertain if Seven Network has already recovered the accounts from the hackers.
The hacking incident came shortly after the same deepfakes of Musk started spreading across YouTube telling people to visit a website to deposit Ethereum, Dogecoin, or Bitcoin.
Several news outlets have already warned people not to access the advertised site as it is highly likely to be a phishing website intended to steal people's digital wallets.
Also Read: Deepfakes of Elon Musk Promote Crypto Giveaway Scams on YouTube Live
Verified Accounts Became Latest Target in Crypto Scam Hackings
The hacking on Seven Network is only the latest cyberattack incident involving crypto scams targeting verified accounts to reach and deceive more potential victims.
Earlier this week, American rapper 50 Cent warned his followers against investing in the crypto website suddenly promoted on his X (formerly Twitter) and official website.
The rapper claimed that the hackers were able to bag "$3,000,000 in 30 minutes."
My Twitter & https://t.co/iaLj5OUvRT was hacked I have no association with this Crypto. Twitter worked quickly to lock my account back down. Who ever did this made $3,000,000 in 30 minutes. pic.twitter.com/I07Eqpc2xl
— 50cent (@50cent) June 23, 2024
Before the YouTube live streams, several verified TikTok accounts were reportedly hacked as many of its followers suddenly received suspicious messages from the accounts referring them to access a website link.
Among the affected accounts were the official pages of CNN and Paris Hilton. Both accounts were later recovered after TikTok released a fix on the exploit that apparently caused the breach.
Related Article: 50 Cent's Hacked Accounts Promote Scam Crypto Schemes
