YouTube has released a new AI-based troubleshooting tool to help users recover their accounts after a hack.
The AI chatbot “Support Assistant” serves as a guide for users to re-secure their login and recover their account after a hack.
Eligible users can access the tool in the YouTube Help Center by clicking the “Chat with our hacked channel assistant” button.
When the option is selected, the chatbot will ask the user a series of questions about them and their account to both secure their Google login and undo any changes the hacker has made to the channel.
The tool then prompts the user to increase the security of their account to reduce the risk of future hacking attacks.
The new tool is currently only available in English, and certain troubleshooting features of the tool are only available to “certain users.” However, YouTube, which is owned by Google, plans to make the feature available to all users in the future.
Combating increasing social media hacks
The AI chatbot is designed to speed up and simplify the YouTube account recovery process.
Recovering a hacked social media account, including YouTube, can be a lengthy process and potentially result in significant loss of income for users such as influencers and other content creators.
Every YouTube channel is linked to at least one Google account. This means that if a YouTube channel is hacked, at least one of the Google accounts linked to the channel will also be compromised.
Cyber actors attack social media accounts for a variety of reasons, including launching phishing attacks and spreading malware.
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In early 2024, several well-known social media accounts, including Certik and Mandiant, were hijacked by scammers to share links to malicious websites.
In January 2024, the SEC’s X-Account (formerly Twitter) was compromised and hackers published a fake announcement regarding the approval of Bitcoin ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) on securities exchanges.
In addition, there have been numerous hacking attacks on social media, with accounts being flooded with indecent or offensive content that had no apparent financial background.
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