The recent arrest of Eric Council Jr in connection with a hack of the US markets regulator’s account has shed light on some alarming searches he allegedly made. According to court documents, Council searched for terms such as “how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI” and “signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement.”
Council, a 25-year-old from Athens, Georgia, is accused of being part of a group that hacked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) social media account in January. The hackers made a fake post about Bitcoin, causing the cryptocurrency to surge in value. The post falsely claimed that the SEC had allowed Bitcoin to be part of mainstream investment funds, leading to a $1,000 increase in the price of Bitcoin before it was revealed to be untrue.
Despite the confusion caused by the hack, the SEC later approved Bitcoin to be a part of mainstream investment through spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Council, who went by the aliases Ronin, Easymunny, and AGiantSchnauzer online, also searched for terms such as “SECGOV hack” and “Telegram sim swap.”
The SEC confirmed that its account was compromised by a Sim swap attack, where someone fraudulently gets a mobile phone carrier to transfer a phone number to a new Sim card. Council is accused of creating a fake ID with an SEC employee’s details to carry out the attack. He is charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, and could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
The case highlights the importance of cybersecurity measures and the potential consequences of engaging in illegal hacking activities. It serves as a reminder that law enforcement agencies are actively monitoring and investigating such activities, as evidenced by Council’s concerning search history.
