The 'Euphoria' and 'White Lotus' beauty sees her social media and phone compromised recently, leading to a series of questionable cryptocurrency posts on her page.
- July 23, 2024
AceShowbiz - In a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities in modern telecommunications, "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney experienced the hijacking of both her cellphone number and her X (formerly known as Twitter) account in July. The attackers aimed to promote a dubious cryptocurrency, according to a recently surfaced Verizon Wireless receipt obtained by 404 Media.
The receipt, dated the same day as the security breach, indicated unauthorized changes to Sweeney's account. "Hi SYDNEY SWEENEY, Thank you for your order," the receipt reads. It was accompanied by an image of an iPhone and its box, signaling a possibly fraudulent acquisition of a new device linked to her number.
Experts speculate that Sweeney was targeted through a SIM swapping attack, in which hackers reroute a target's phone number to a device they control. The repercussions were immediate and public; Sweeney's X account was soon flooded with tweets about a new crypto meme coin, causing concern among her 1 million followers.
One of the hackers' tweets read, "Well I think it's time $sweeney is now live 100mc incoming. At 10mc, 10% of the supply will be burnt," accompanied by a link directing users to a suspicious new currency site.
Promising a live session on Spaces, the hackers exploited Sweeney's trust with her followers to amplify their scheme. The tweets didn't stay up for long, as Sweeney reclaimed her account and purged the fraudulent posts.
Verizon spokesperson Richard Young commented, "Verizon takes customer privacy and account security very seriously. When an issue is brought to our attention, we work quickly to investigate and remediate the issue, and work to ensure it doesn't happen again."
Despite a swift recovery, this incident shows a broader issue in cybersecurity, highlighting high profile stars who have faced similar breaches. Sweeney joins celebrities like 50 Cent, Doja Cat, Rich the Kid, and Hulk Hogan, all of whom have experienced digital intrusions aimed at leveraging their popularity for illicit gains.
This series of events serves as a critical reminder for users, both prominent and everyday, to bolster their online security measures. Vigilance remains paramount, and it's crucial to stay informed about emerging cyber threats and how to protect oneself against them.
