Cyber Incident Victim: Sansad TV
Date:
Feb 2022
Location:
India
Summary
Sansad TV's YouTube account was terminated for violating platform guidelines after being compromised by scamsters, who renamed it to promote a cryptocurrency. The channel's team restored access within hours, with YouTube addressing security threats and national cybersecurity authorities involved. This incident reflects broader vulnerabilities in government-affiliated digital platforms, echoing prior compromises of high-profile accounts similarly exploited for cryptocurrency-related scams.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On February 15, 2022, Sansad TV's YouTube channel—which broadcasts live proceedings of India's Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha—was terminated by YouTube for violating its community guidelines. The incident began around 1:00 AM when unauthorized actors compromised the channel, renaming it "Etherium" in reference to a cryptocurrency. Initial social media reports highlighted the hack, followed by users encountering a 404 error message stating the page was unavailable. By 3:45 AM, Sansad TV's social media team had restored access to the channel, according to a statement from joint secretary Puneet Kumar. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) was notified of the compromise. YouTube confirmed it was addressing the security threats to permanently resolve the issue, though the channel remained temporarily inaccessible with a termination notice citing guideline violations.
The specific community guidelines violated during the incident were not disclosed by YouTube or Sansad TV. YouTube’s policies prohibit spam, deceptive practices, and harmful content, among other categories. Google, YouTube’s parent company, did not respond to media inquiries about the termination. The hack aligned with a pattern of compromises targeting Indian government-affiliated accounts: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal Twitter account was briefly compromised in December 2021 to promote a cryptocurrency link, while an account linked to his website was hacked in September 2020 to solicit cryptocurrency donations. Sansad TV’s restoration efforts focused on coordination with YouTube’s security teams, with no public disclosure of technical details regarding the attackers’ methods or broader systemic impacts beyond the channel’s temporary unavailability.