It was just Twitter - no other systems were breached, SEC says after Bitcoin ETF blunder

THE US Securities and Exchange Commission says its current investigation into a security breach that saw a fake announcement about Bitcoin exchange-traded funds believes it was an isolated incident.

Investigators say they currently understand nothing other than the SEC's Twitter (X) account was compromised.

"While SEC staff are still assessing the scope of the incident, there is currently no evidence that the unauthorized party gained access to SEC systems, data, devices, or other social media accounts," a statement read.

The rogue tweet announced on Tuesday that all applications for spot Bitcoin ETFs had been given approval - a post which moved the price of Bitcoin to $48,000.

The SEC quickly restored control of its social channel, with its chief Gary Gensler swiftly taking to Twitter himself to attempt to calm the markets and explain the embarrassing situation.

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds were eventually given the green light on Wednesday, as Twitter's senior technicians confirmed the breach and exposed the SEC's woeful social media security measures.

On Friday US Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden sent a cross-party memo to the SEC, slamming its security policies.

"We urge you to investigate the agency's practices related to the use of MFA, and in particular, phishing-resistant MFA, to identify any remaining security gaps that must be addressed," Lummis and Wyden said.

Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are working with SEC on the investigation.