XRP Hackers Target South Korean Drama YouTube Channels, Confusing K-Drama Fans

On July 20 and 21, 2024, two major South Korean YouTube channels, tvN Drama and TVING, fell victim to an XRP hacker attack, causing confusion among viewers.

The channels, owned by the South Korean conglomerate CJ, are popular for airing dramas and reality TV shows.

Details of the Attack

• Channels Involved:
• tvN Drama: Over 7.11 million subscribers.
• TVING: Over 985,000 subscribers.

• Hacker Actions:
• Seized control of the channels.
• Changed logos, banners, and descriptions to Ripple-related imagery.
• Streamed Ripple and XRP-themed videos.

Response and Recovery

• TVING's Initial Response: Acknowledged the hack and began collaborating with YouTube to resolve the issue.
• Warnings Issued: Subscribers were advised to avoid clicking on suspicious videos or links.
• Restoration Efforts:
• By July 21, Ripple-related content was removed from tvN’s channel.
• Channel handles and logos were gradually restored.
• tvN Drama confirmed that all operations were normalized after working with YouTube.

Impact on Viewers

• Disruption:
• Viewers reported issues accessing the channels and noticed unusual videos in their feeds.
• The confusion lasted for several hours as the channels worked on restoring their usual content and appearance.

Popularity of XRP in South Korea

XRP enjoys significant popularity in South Korea, often seeing higher trading volumes than Bitcoin (BTC) and USDT on local crypto exchanges. This popularity likely motivated the hackers to target these prominent channels to spread Ripple-related content.

Trading volumes of top pairings on the Upbit crypto exchange on July 21, 2024. (Source: CoinGecko)