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After evading capture for more than two years in the wake of a hacking spree that targeted some of the world’s largest technology companies, US authorities say they have finally caught at least some of the hackers responsible.
In August 2022, Security researchers have gone public With a warning that a group of hackers targeted more than 130 organizations as part of a sophisticated phishing campaign that stole the credentials of nearly 10,000 employees. The hackers were specifically targeting companies that use Okta, a single sign-on provider used by thousands of companies around the world to allow their employees to log in from home.
Because of its focus on Okta, the hacking group was nicknamed “0ktapus”. So far, the group has been hacked Caesar EntertainmentCoinbase, DoorDash, Mailchimp, Riot Games, Twilio (twice), Dozens more.
The most notable stop-and-effect cyberattack by hackers was the hack at MGM Resorts in September 2023, which reportedly cost the casino and hotel giant at least $100 million. In this case, the hackers worked with the Russian-speaking ransomware gang ALPHV, and demanded a ransom from MGM so the company could restore its files. The hack was so devastating that MGM-owned casinos Had difficulty providing services For several days.
Over the past two years, as law enforcement has been clamping down on hackers, those in the cybersecurity industry have been trying to figure out exactly how to classify hackers and whether to put them in one group or another.
Hacker techniques, such as social engineering, email and text phishing, and SIM swapping, are common and widespread. Some individual hackers were part of several groups responsible for various data breaches. These circumstances have made it difficult to understand exactly who belongs to which group. Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike has dubbed this umbrella group of hackers the “Scattered Spider,” and researchers believe there is some overlap with 0ktapus.
The group was so active – and successful – that it attracted the US cybersecurity agency CISA and the FBI He issued an advisory in late 2023 With details about the group’s activities and techniques, in an effort to help organizations prepare and defend against expected attacks.
Scattered Spider is a “cybercriminal group that targets large corporations and their contracted IT help desks,” CISA wrote in its warning. The agency warned that the group “usually engages in data theft for the purpose of extortion,” and pointed to its known links to ransomware gangs.
One thing that is relatively certain is that the hackers are mostly English speakers, widely believed to be in their teens and early 20s – sometimes referred to as “advanced persistent teens.”
“There is a disproportionate number of minors involved, and that’s because the group is intentionally recruiting minors because of the permissive legal environment these minors are in and they know that nothing will happen to them if the police catch a child,” Allison Nixon, the 221B’s chief research officer, said. TechCrunch at the time.
Over the past two years, some members of 0ktapus and Scattered Spider have been linked to a similarly shadowy group of cybercriminals known as “com“People in this broader cybercrime community have committed crimes that have crossed over into the real world. Some have been responsible for acts of violence, such as burglaries, burglaries, robberies – hiring thugs to throw bricks at someone’s house or apartment; as well as beatings – where someone tricks the authorities.” It is believed that a violent crime has occurred, prompting an armed police unit to intervene. Beatings, although a prank, are known to have serious consequences.
After two years of hacking, authorities are finally beginning to identify and charge Scattered Spider members.
In July, British police confirmed A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with the MGM hack.
In November, the US Department of Justice announced that it had charged five hackers: Ahmed Hossam El-Din El-Badawi, 23, from College Station, Texas; Noah Michael Urban, 20, from Palm Coast, Florida, Who was arrested in January; Evans Onyaka Osibo, 20, of Dallas, Texas; Joel Martin Evans, 25, of Jacksonville, North Carolina; and Tyler Robert Buchanan, 22, from the United Kingdom, who was arrested in June in Spain.
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