Linus from Linus Tech Tips just got hacked, and it’s honestly terrifying. Derek from Veritasium’s team managed to break into a phone network, intercept Linus’ calls and texts, and even steal his two-factor authentication codes—all without even touching his phone. The craziest part? This can happen to anyone, thanks to an outdated system called SS7 that’s still in use today. And the scariest part? It could happen to you right now.
In the demo, Linus was supposed to receive a call, but it never even rang. Instead, Veritasium’s team rerouted it straight to them, and Linus had no idea. SS7 was built in the ’80s to handle long-distance calls, but now it’s making our phones wide open to hacks. Even though this flaw has been known for years, it’s still out there being exploited, leaving us all vulnerable.
What makes this so alarming is how easy it was for them to hijack his phone. Hackers can intercept your texts, steal your one-time passwords, and reroute your calls, all without you knowing. It’s not just tech-savvy people who are at risk—anyone with a phone is vulnerable. If you’re still using SMS for two-factor authentication, it might be time to switch to something more secure, like an app or hardware token, because your phone isn’t as safe as you think.