Imagine you’re a YouTube content creator, who has some content specification and expertise in your topic of subjects, based on which you make videos to educate, inform, or entertain people. You have a good subscriber and follower base, and it is the only source of income you have. Suddenly on one fine day, you find out that all your videos are deleted from the social content platform and something else is being shown instead of your content.
If you search by the name of your YouTube channel it doesn’t appear and even the worst part is the IP address by which you registered has been hacked. What will be your take on this situation?
The digital landscape of India is witnessing a significant surge in cyber threats over a period of time, particularly targeting social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram. But Youtube being the most accessible and economically beneficial social content platform with a varied spectrum of content, it has become a primary source of income for millions, especially when it’s a country like India with a booming creator economy.
Hacking of channels including those of well known creators like Comic verse, The Ranveer Show, etc and even the youtube channel of Supreme Court of India was not spared, it was hacked and situations like this are alarming for the digital wellbeing of a nation.
YouTube channel hacking is increasing in India due to three major factors:
1. Over Presence in Online space:
As there are easily affordable data plans available, hence millions of users access the internet content in India especially on YouTube, which means more channels and more potential targets for cybercriminals.
2. Lack of awareness regarding Cyber security:
Many content creators, especially with local reach or small subscriber base, lack sufficient cybersecurity knowledge and fail to implement necessary protection measures. such as using complex passwords or enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), it is often overlooked, making channels vulnerable to hacking attempts.
3. Financial Incentives for Hackers:
As a good is revenue generated through ad revenue in case of a successful youtube channel with millions of subscribers those channels are often used for cryptocurrency scams or resold on the dark web in return for huge capital.
What content creators can do to prevent YouTube channel hacks?
Well unfortunately the shocking irony is that, creators can just hope for the situation to get better as there is nothing much to do from their end.
1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
First and foremost way to secure a youtube account is enabling 2FA, which adds an extra layer of security beyond just the password. It requires creators to verify their identity through a mobile device or email, making it difficult for hackers to gain access even if passwords are compromised.
2. Make complexe passwords protocol
Content creators should adopt strong, unique passwords for their accounts. Using password management tools can help streamline this process.
- Early-warning systems for potential threats.
- Advanced verification methods for channels with large audiences.
- Faster recovery options to restore hacked accounts promptly.
Recent case study Of Hacking of big YouTube channels on the Internet:
- On 20th September 2024, the Official youtube account of the Supreme Court of India was hacked where instead of the court proceeding livestreaming the channel showcased cryptocurrency videos developed by US-based company called Ripple Labs. The Supreme Court’s IT team had taken it up with National Informatics Centre (NIC) to bring back the channel to normalcy as when the viewers where trying to search for the youtube channel they were redirected to another youtube channel which was absolutely off the topic.
- Famous Indian youtuber Ranveer Allahabadia’s both the Youtube channels Beer biceps and The Ranveer Show were hacked on 23rd september. The hackers started a livestream featuring an AI-generated version of Elon Musk to lure unsuspecting viewers into a cryptocurrency scam. The Hackers replaced the content of the creator with older streams from events featuring high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Conclusion
Finally as we come to an end of the article it must be taken into consideration that the digital security wellbeing should be prioritized for a booming social media economy that India has.
It must consider stronger cyber security measures at multiple levels through the measures taken by the administrative bodies and partnering with tech platforms to protect the digital ecosystem of India allowing the budding content creators and established content creators to create their brand identity through the platform without the threat of getting hacked.
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