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Linus Tech Tips is one of the biggest influencers ever, and the channel’s impact on the tech world is indisputable. So, when his YouTube channel was hacked today, over 15 Million subscribers worldwide were worried that this could be the end.
While the attack was isolated to the YouTube Channel, luckily the LTT Store and LTT Twitter were unaffected. The hack seemingly deleted all of the videos from his account, while renaming the channel to ‘Tesla’. Alongside that, it posted two live-streams seemingly promoting ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Elon Musk.
The channel’s handle was also renamed to @temporaryhandle, though it has now been changed back, or deleted.
Below is an image detailing what the YouTube page looked like while being hacked:
It seems as though the hack was being used to promote scam crypto-currency videos, ChatGPT, and Elon Musk.
One livestream, named OpenAI GPT-4: The Game-Changing AI Technology, and another, LinusTechTips & Elon Musk Special Crypto Giveaway, appeared to be promoting a crypto-currency scam, so we can assume that the account was hacked by scammers. It seems as though this is a phishing attempt to get people to offer up their crypto wallets in light of a ‘giveaway.’
Linus Tech Tips reacts to hack at 5:30am
Following on from the hack which took Linus’s channel down, he’s responded from his personal Twitter:
Important to note that it’s currently 5:30am in Canada, waking up to find your entire life’s work in jeopardy is sure to stress anyone out.
The account is currently not available to view, however we’re sure that YouTube are currently working hard to reinstate Linus’s channel without any further interruption.
