US SEC blames 'SIM swapping' for its X account hack

FILE PHOTO: The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

(Reuters) -Wall Street's top regulator was the victim of "SIM swapping," a technique internet fraudsters use to seize control of telephone lines, when its account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was hacked earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday.

The SEC also said that, six months prior to the attack, staff had removed an added layer of protection, known as multi-factor authentication (MFA), and did not restore it until after the Jan. 9 attack.