The Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has confirmed that there is currently no evidence of unauthorized access to SEC systems, data, devices, or other social media accounts. This statement comes in response to a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to the SEC’s @SECGov X account, previously known as Twitter.
Gensler has emphasized the seriousness with which the SEC is treating this incident, and the ongoing evaluation of its impact on crypto agencies, investors, and marketplaces. The SEC acknowledges that the breach has raised concerns about the security of its social media accounts, and staff are assessing whether further remedial measures are necessary.
The SEC is working with law enforcement and security agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, among others, in their investigations.
On January 9, 2024, an unauthorized party gained control of the SEC’s official X account and posted a false announcement that the SEC had approved a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This was followed by another post two minutes later that simply read “$BTC.” The second post was deleted, but the first remains on X.
Following the incident, SEC staff contacted X to assist in terminating the unauthorized access. According to X safety officials, the unauthorized access was terminated between 4:40 pm ET and 5:30 pm ET.
Gensler has stressed that the SEC does not use X or any other social media platform to announce any developments. Despite this, members of the United States Congress have called on the SEC to report the hack that resulted in the false Bitcoin ETF approval announcement. Senators Ron Wyden and Cynthia Lummis have written to SEC Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey on January 11, urging her to launch an investigation into the commission’s cybersecurity practices.
This News Article was automatically generated by Bob the Bot (AI)
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Geography | North America |
| Countries | 🇺🇸 |
| Sentiment | negative |
| Relevance Score | 1 |
| People | Cynthia Lummis, Deborah Jeffrey, Gary Gensler, Ron Wyden |
| Companies | Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Securities and Exchange Commission |
| Currencies | Bitcoin |
| Securities | None |
