The SEC’s X Account Was ‘Compromised,’ Sent an ‘Unauthorized’ Bitcoin Post

The post briefly caused the price of Bitcoin to spike.

By Erin Davis Jan 10, 2024
Photo illustration by Chesnot | Getty Images

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on X on Tuesday that its account was “compromised,” and it sent out an “unauthorized post” about bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The post in question has since been deleted, but it said the SEC approved bitcoin ETFs for trading and briefly caused the price of bitcoin to hit $47,897 before lowering to around $45,000, per Markets Insider.

“The SEC’s @SECGov X/Twitter account has been compromised. The unauthorized tweet regarding bitcoin ETFs was not made by the SEC or its staff,” an SEC spokesperson told CNBC.

RELATED: Bitcoin Is Back. Here’s What’s Fueling the Surge.

An SEC spokesperson told CNBC later on Tuesday that an “unknown party” had unauthorized access to the SEC’s X account “for a brief period” just after 4 p.m. ET.

A decision is expected on Wednesday. At least a dozen asset managers, including BlackRock and Fidelity, have filed applications to create the funds.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on X on Tuesday that its account was “compromised,” and it sent out an “unauthorized post” about bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The post in question has since been deleted, but it said the SEC approved bitcoin ETFs for trading and briefly caused the price of bitcoin to hit $47,897 before lowering to around $45,000, per Markets Insider.

“The SEC’s @SECGov X/Twitter account has been compromised. The unauthorized tweet regarding bitcoin ETFs was not made by the SEC or its staff,” an SEC spokesperson told CNBC.

RELATED: Bitcoin Is Back. Here’s What’s Fueling the Surge.

An SEC spokesperson told CNBC later on Tuesday that an “unknown party” had unauthorized access to the SEC’s X account “for a brief period” just after 4 p.m. ET.

A decision is expected on Wednesday. At least a dozen asset managers, including BlackRock and Fidelity, have filed applications to create the funds.

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Erin Davis

Trending News Writer at Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Staff

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