US SEC says breach of X account did not lead to breach of its broader systems


FILE PHOTO: The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said there was no evidence to suggest the breach of its X account earlier this week also involved a breach of the agency's systems, devices, data or other social media accounts.

The fake post on Tuesday said the SEC had approved trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), sending industry executives scrambling. Bitcoin prices had whipsawed ahead of an expected announcement on Wednesday by the agency to allow trading of the products.

"While SEC staff is still assessing the scope of the incident, there is currently no evidence that the unauthorized party gained access to SEC systems, data, devices, or other social media accounts," the SEC said in a statement.

The SEC quickly disavowed and deleted the post. X, formerly Twitter, later said the account was compromised because of an "unidentified individual" obtaining control of a phone number.

The SEC did approve the bitcoin ETFs on Wednesday.

The SEC said the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has joined the FBI and the SEC's inspector general in investigating the breach.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Douglas Gillison and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Leslie Adler)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

US Cellular to sell some spectrum licenses to AT&T for $1 billion
Datadog raises annual forecast betting on AI-driven cybersecurity demand
Italy minister open to reviewing tax hike on cryptocurrencies
Dutch chipmaker NXP sees sales growth averaging 6-10% -CEO
Italy to change web tax in bid to overcome US objections
JAL-Sumitomo JV secures right to place order for up to 100 Archer air-taxis
Software provider EPAM lifts annual forecasts as IT spending rises
India raids offices of sellers using Amazon, Flipkart platforms, sources say
Arm Holdings shares fall as revenue forecast fails to impress investors
Amazon to invest $1.3 billion in Italy data centre business

Others Also Read