Hackers hacked Apple’s YouTube channel to promote fake cryptocurrencies

Attackers hacked into Apple’s official YouTube channel and posted a fake video in which an artificially generated Apple CEO, Tim Cook, announces a cryptocurrency giveaway. The video stated on behalf of the company that " BTC $65,774.70 Bitcoin -0.55% Market capitalization $1.3 trillion VOL. 24 hours $0.58 billion , ETH $2,675.86 Bridged Ether (StarkGate) -1.16% Market capitalization $0.2 billion VOL. 24 hours $0.36 billion , DOGE $0.03 Department Of Government Efficiency 2.61% Market capitalization $28.13 million VOL. 24 hours $0.22 billion , and VOTE will help the world accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrencies." Tim Cook urged users to participate in the campaign, promising cash prizes of up to 1,000 BTC and $ 10,000.

The video, created with the help of the deepfake technology, gathered more than 600,000 views before it was removed. There is no official comment from Apple yet.

Earlier, fraudsters used similar methods with a fake video of Elon Musk, promising to distribute cryptocurrencies during the Bitcoin 2024 conference. Back then, the attackers managed to collect more than $ 28,000 from gullible users.

Elon Musk is often targeted by cryptocurrency scams because he has long supported cryptocurrencies, especially Dogecoin. In April, security researchers discovered similar fake SpaceX accounts on YouTube that used Musk’s artificially created voice to spread the same fraudulent schemes.