SEC Says Its X Account Was ‘Compromised’ After Hacker Posts False Approval of Bitcoin ETFs

US Securities and Exchange Commission spokesperson said an unknown party had taken control of the agency’s X account for a brief period.

A flag outside the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 23, 2022. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A social media account belonging to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was “compromised” this week, the agency has said, after it appeared to approve exchange-traded funds (ETFs) holding Bitcoin.

The agency said its official account on Elon Musk’s X platform, formerly known as Twitter, was breached on Jan. 9 and that it had not approved Bitcoin ETF applications, contrary to a previous post stating that it had.