YouTube Hacked: Most Viewed Video Disappears

April 10, 2018

YouTube, the most popular video sharing website, fell victim to hackers this morning as a handful of music videos have been vandalized and the most viewed music video deleted. The record-breaking music video for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” disappeared from YouTube today after being defaced by hackers. The image for the video was altered and exchanged with a masked gang holding guns which was taken from the Netflix show “La Casa de Papel”. The hackers also replaced the description of the video: “Hacked by Prosox and Kuroi’sh.”

Just five days ago, it was announced that “Despacito” has surpassed 5 billion views on YouTube, making it the most viewed video on the history of the internet. With over 5 billion views, the video is projected to have one view for every person on Earth – an estimated 7.6 billion. The video is expected to stay on top for quite some time, with its closest competitor, Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” around 3.5 billion views.

More than a dozen of other artists’s music videos have also been defaced, including Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, Shakira, Selena Gomez, Drake, Katy Perry, DJ Snake, and more. According to the BBC, today’s disruption seemed to target Vevo-hosted videos on YouTube, but neither Vevo nor YouTube immediately responded to a request for comment. While some descriptions were replaced with “Hacked by Prosox and Kuroi’sh,” others appeared to have the words “Free Palestine” written underneath them. Vevo was previously victim to hackers back in September 2017, but it wasn’t music videos being affected then. Instead, internal company documents were leaked onto the internet. Though all of the videos hacked were uploaded to the artist’s Vevo YouTube accounts, it is not clear yet whether hackers were able to gain access to individual accounts or if there was a broader exploitation with Vevo accounts. One of the hackers claimed they used a “script” to alter the video titles and several of the clips remain live at the time of writing. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” has been restored and re-uploaded to the original video.

According to Cyber-security expert Professor Alan Woodward, from Surrey University, it was “unlikely that the hacker was able to gain access so easily.” He went on to say, “To upload and alter video content with a code you should require an authorization token, so either this hacker has found a way around that need for authorization, or they are being economical with the facts, or they obtained the permissions in some other way.” This also isn’t the first online attack by the hackers involved. Last week, a user who also was identifying themselves as Kuroi’sh hacked into various Twitter accounts ran by news organizations. These accounts posted out a whole range of posts, which many included Kuroi’sh’s name and owned credit for the hack.

With today’s breach on YouTube and Vevo, I think it is vital for small to medium-sized businesses to understand the threat of hacking and identity theft on the internet. For companies with the magnitude of YouTube and Vevo, millions of dollars are spent every month to protect the billions of videos on their websites. For local businesses, it would be a wise decision to look at Apex United Corporation for their business and support solutions. AUC is a one-stop shop for all business needs. The primary focus of the company is to save clients’ money through extemporary services, by creating efficiencies through the use of industry-leading technologies to help them become a thriving modernized company.

Apex United Corporation seeks to become one of the most respected and reliable industry leaders in the country by providing quality services with the most technologically advanced networks while maintaining the lowest possible price for the quality of products and services. One of AUC’s most robust products is LifeGuard, an identity theft protection program. As a company, AUC has a strong sense of accountability which should interest business owners looking to get more exposure for their company. Apex United Corporation’s foundation is built upon principle, honesty, and moral character, and they do everything in their power to ensure every decision made is the right decision for your company. For more on LifeGuard and Apex United Corporation visit their website.