US EditionAlabama Man Gets 14 Months for Hacking SEC's X Account With SIM-Swap Scheme
- Eric Council Jr. From Alabama was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for hacking the SEC's X account in January 2024.
- Council used a SIM swap attack to access an SEC employee's phone, which controlled the organization's social media account.
- The hack involved posting a false tweet about Bitcoin ETF approval, causing Bitcoin's price to rise over $1,000 and market disruption.
- In February, Council pled guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft, agreed to forfeit $50,000, and faces three years of supervised release, as US Attorney Jeanine Pirro warned that those involved in such crimes face inevitable detection, prosecution, and consequences.
- The sentencing underlines risks SIM swap schemes pose to financial security and markets and signals ongoing government efforts to punish such cybercrimes.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Jan 2024 SEC’s X account hacker got 14 months in prison for cyber fraud
Eric Council Jr. was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment for his role in the Jan. 9, 2024, hack of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) X account. The convicted, along with co-conspirators, posted false news of the SEC approving the first Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund in the U.S. In a press release on May 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that Council Jr. will also be subjected to three years of supervi…
Australian national known as “DR32” sentenced in U.S. federal court
In a somewhat surpising turn of events, the Australian hacker known as “DR32” learned his sentence in a Colorado federal court this week. It was not the sentence most people might have expected. David Kee Crees, a 26 year-old Australian, who had also been known online as “Abdilo,” “Notavirus,” “Surivaton”, and “Grey Hat Mafia’s Bitch,”… Introduction to Malware Binary Triage (IMBT) Course Looking to level up your skills? Get 10% off using coupon…
Alabama Man Gets 14-Month Prison Sentence for SEC X Account Hack Over Fake Bitcoin ETF Post
A 26-year-old Alabama man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for hacking the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) X social media account and posting false information about Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), marking one of the highest-profile SIM swap attacks targeting a federal agency. Eric Council Jr. from Athens, Alabama, gained unauthorized access to the SEC’s X account through a SIM swap attack, a technique that has become i…
14 Months in Prison for SEC Hacker: How a SIM Swap Sent Bitcoin Prices Soaring—And Exposed Cybersecurity Flaws
Anatomy of a Market Shock: How a SIM Swap Breached the SEC and Jolted Bitcoin In January 2024, a sophisticated attack on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s X (formerly Twitter) account sent shockwaves through both the cryptocurrency market and the regulatory community. The culprit, Eric Council Jr., a 26-year-old from Alabama, was sentenced Friday to 14 months in prison following his guilty plea to conspiracy charges related to aggrav…
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