Cyber Incident Victim: Supreme Court of Pakistan
Date:
Sep 2024
Location:
India
Summary
The official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India was compromised, displaying unauthorized cryptocurrency promotion content related to Ripple Labs' XRP amid its legal disputes with U.S. regulators. Hackers privatized previous hearing videos and temporarily disabled the channel, leaving a 404 error message until restoration efforts began. This breach occurred alongside similar cyberattacks targeting other prominent Indian entities, including Hyderabad Metro Rail and the national hockey team’s social media accounts, which promoted a separate cryptocurrency token on the Solana blockchain. Reports suggested potential vulnerabilities involving compromised API keys or third-party app integrations as possible attack vectors across these incidents.
| 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 September 20, 2024, the official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India was compromised in a cyberattack that lasted several hours. Hackers altered the channel’s content to display promotional material for XRP, a cryptocurrency developed by Ripple Labs, a U.S.-based company engaged in legal disputes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The attackers replaced the channel’s normal content with a blank video titled "Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC's $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION," referencing Ripple’s CEO. They also made previous videos of Supreme Court hearings private, restricting public access to archived proceedings. By approximately 3:00 PM local time, attempts to access the channel returned a 404 error message stating, “This page isn't available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else.” The Supreme Court issued a public notice confirming the channel had been taken down and assuring users that services would be restored shortly. The channel, operational since 2018, had been instrumental in live-streaming Constitution Bench hearings and other matters of public interest, including high-profile cases like the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute. This incident disrupted public access to a critical transparency initiative launched under former Chief Justice UU Lalit.
The breach occurred amid a series of similar attacks targeting Indian institutional accounts. Two days prior, on September 18, the Hyderabad Metro Rail’s X account (@ltmhyd) was hacked to promote $HACKED, a cryptocurrency token on the Solana blockchain. The following day, the Indian Hockey team’s X account (@TheHockeyIndia) was compromised shortly after their Asian Champions Trophy victory, displaying a message declaring, "THIS IS A HACKED ACCOUNT! INTRODUCING $HACKED ON SOLANA," alongside a profit-sharing proposition linked to further breaches. While the Supreme Court’s breach specifically promoted XRP rather than $HACKED, all incidents shared a pattern of exploiting institutional platforms for cryptocurrency promotion. Reports suggested compromised API keys or third-party app integrations as potential attack vectors, though no technical confirmation was provided for the Supreme Court’s case. The incident underscored vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure supporting public institutions, temporarily severing a key channel for disseminating judicial proceedings to citizens. Restoration efforts were underway at the time of reporting, with no further details disclosed regarding investigative or remediation steps.