The US and UK are identifying and charging two members of the hacking group “Scattered Spider,” including one accused of orchestrating at least 120 breaches.
On Thursday, the UK’s National Crime Agency announced charges against 19-year-old Thalha Jubair and 18-year-old Owen Flowers, both of whom appeared in a local court on the same day.
The US Justice Department has also charged Jubair for hacking activities “in relation to at least 120 computer network intrusions and extortion involving 47 US entities.” The hacking was so vast and damaging that victims paid at least $115 million in ransom payments,” the feds say.
“These malicious attacks caused widespread disruption to US businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and the federal court system,” the Justice Department says.
Both Jubair and Flowers have been on law enforcement’s radar for a while. In July, security journalist Brian Krebs reported that the UK had also arrested both suspects for data theft attacks on local retailers Marks & Spencer and Harrods. In addition, a year ago, the UK’s National Crime Agency arrested Flowers for a cyberattack on Transport for London; he was reportedly later released on bail.
It’s not clear why it took authorities so long to crack down, but Jubair and Flowers’ ages may have played a role. Allegedly, Jubair and others orchestrated the 120 intrusions from May 2022 to last month, suggesting Jubair has been active since he was 14.
Scattered Spider has spent the last years terrorizing companies by breaking into their networks, stealing confidential data, and spreading ransomware. The group has stood out from other cyber gangs because its members appear to be both surprisingly young and native English speakers. To pull off the hacks, Scattered Spider has often resorted to social engineering tactics, like posing as IT support staff to trick employees at target companies into giving up passwords or installing remote access software on their machines.
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Investigators traced the breaches to Jubair because he allegedly controlled a server that hosted cryptocurrency wallets used to receive ransomware payments from the hacks.
“If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 95 years in prison,” the Justice Department said, noting Jubair has been charged with various counts of computer fraud and money laundering.
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Michael Kan
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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