Hacker who hijacked SEC’s X account pleads guilty, faces maximum five-year sentence

A 25-year-old, Eric Council Jr., pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud after using a forged ID and a SIM swap to take over the SEC’s X account in January 2024, posting false messages that drove rapid bitcoin price swings; the report details the takeover method, market manipulation impact, his arrest, and broader concerns about the platform’s protection of high-profile accounts.