A recent court filing sheds light on the motivations of Eric Council Jr., the individual responsible for compromising the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) X account last year. The hacker, who profited from similar SIM swap attacks before being arrested, recently revealed his search history while preparing for sentencing. Council’s motives were driven by financial gain, as he earned $50,000 by impersonating clients to perform SIM swaps and was discovered engaging in this illicit activity between January and June 2024. His actions involved tricking telecom companies into changing phone numbers for a fee, with the victims’ personal information required for successful completion. This strategy allowed him to access the SEC’s X account and post false news about a spot Bitcoin ETF approval, disrupting market operations.