U.S. prosecutors have charged five individuals accused of being part of Scattered Spider, a hacking collective linked to a series of cyberattacks on companies and individuals, including major cryptocurrency thefts. The accused, Tyler Buchanan from Scotland, Ahmed Elbadawy from Texas, Joel Evans from North Carolina, Evans Osiebo from Dallas, and Noah Urban from Florida, allegedly orchestrated phishing attacks targeting employees of at least 12 companies.
Each faces charges of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, while Buchanan also faces a wire fraud charge. According to Reuters, investigators linked Buchanan to phishing websites through domain registration records.
Between 2021 and 2023, these attacks reportedly led to the theft of sensitive corporate information and millions of digital assets within the gaming, telecommunications, and cryptocurrency sectors.
Authorities believe the group operated as part of a loose-knit network of young hackers known for their aggressive and high-stakes cybercrime. Some are linked to ransomware attacks on high-profile targets like Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International.

While it remains unclear if these defendants were involved in those incidents, officials are touting the arrests as a significant step in combating cybercrime.
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles unveiled intricate details of a cybercrime operation targeting corporate networks. According to lead investigator Martin Estrada, the cybercriminal group utilised advanced social engineering techniques to breach organisational security.
Their strategy involved crafting deceptive SMS messages to manipulate employees into revealing their network access information through carefully constructed fake login pages. After successfully obtaining these credentials, the perpetrators gained unauthorised entry into critical computer systems, ultimately expecting substantial digital currency theft from multiple victims.
Scattered Spider has been known for its audacious and aggressive cyberattacks for years. The loosely organised collective, comprising small groups of hackers, has often operated with apparent impunity, frustrating cybersecurity experts.
Cyber security experts see this case as a wake-up call for young individuals enticed by online crime.
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