Crypto sleuth investigates suspect in Sydney Sweeney’s hack

A few weeks after American actress Sydney Sweeney suffered a major cryptocurrency-related hack on X, some new details on the attack and the alleged hacker have surfaced.

ZachXBT, an independent onchain sleuth, took to X on July 30 to post his investigation into the recent hack of Sydney Sweeney’s X account and the alleged connection of convicted hacker Gurvinder Bhangu to the incident.

The X account of the actress was hacked on July 2, 2024, with the attacker promoting a Solana-based token, SWEENEY, in a pump-and-dump scheme. According to findings by ZachXBT, Gurv was one of the people behind the hack.

Bhangu, also referred to as “Gurv” in the post by ZachXBT, is described as a convicted hacker who shortly served time in the United Kingdom for hacking into Instagram accounts and blackmailing the users.

According to online reports, Gurv also previously hacked three victims in the United States and locked them out of their social media accounts, with one including 1.1 million followers.

“After the incident, screenshots of Gurv receiving codes to log in to Sydney Sweeney’s account from the SIM swap on Telegram appeared online,” ZachXBT wrote.

Gurv also allegedly hacked Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk

Using the Ethereum address connected to the Sydney Sweeney SIM swap on July 9, ZachXBT managed to find another attack perpetrated by Gurv or his partner.

On July 8, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk also suffered a hack on X, with a hacker posting a link to a memecoin, just like in the Sweeney’s hack.

According to ZachXBT’s analysis, the proceeds from the scam were sent to the same Ethereum address that funded the Solana address.

ZachXBT calls on the UK to go after Sweeney’s hacker

In the X post, ZachXBT expressed hope that UK law enforcement would quickly pursue Gurv again using the “large amount of evidence” he provided.

The on-chain analyst noted that “some of the funds have been transferred to crypto casinos and to purchase gift cards.” He also listed four wallets connected to the hacks and scams. At the time of ZachXBT’s post, the wallets held $488,000 in cryptocurrency.

As previously reported, SIM swaps have been increasingly used by online hackers, and such attacks are considered non-demanding regarding technical skills. To stay safe, users must be diligent with their identity security and follow these steps to prevent such hacks.