The alleged leader of Scattered Spider arrested in Spain
A hacker believed to be the mastermind behind the Scattered Spider threat group has been arrested in Spain.
Scattered Spider is a cybercriminal group known for targeting large organizations including MGM Resorts and Caesars Hotel, and is believed to have connections to the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang, with the two having used similar malware strains.
This week, a 22-year-old Briton believed to be the kingpin of the hacking organization was arrested at Palma airport in Spain just as he was preparing to fly to Italy, according to a Spanish newspaper. Murcia today.
According to a statement from the Spanish police, Scattered Spider is “dedicated to the theft of information from companies and cryptocurrencies and managed to gain control of 391 bitcoins worth more than 27 million dollars,” and the leader was arrested within the framework of a joint operation between the Spanish National Police and the American FBI.
“The investigation – which has been carried out by the Central Cybercrime Unit with the collaboration of agents from the Balearic Superior Headquarters – began at the end of last May when the FBI Office in Los Angeles, through its link in Spain, requested information from the National Police about a citizen of British nationality who they suspected could be in our country. The 22-year-old suspect was allegedly responsible for numerous computer attacks on a multitude of companies in the United States,” the police statement says.
“From this moment on, attempts were made to locate him, confirming that he had entered Spain at the end of May through Barcelona’s El Prat airport.”
The FBI reported that the man had an international arrest warrant issued against him by the Central District Court of California. This led to repression against him and his subsequent arrest in Palma de Mallorca.
Although the name of the detainee has not been revealed, the police revealed that at the time of his arrest he was carrying a laptop and a mobile phone, which were seized.
“In addition, the judicial authority ordered his entry into provisional detention,” the police said.
The arrest of Scattered Spider’s alleged leader comes just months after another member of the group was arrested in Florida.
Noah Urban, 19, was arrested in January and charged with “one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, and five counts of aggravated identity theft,” according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). .
“If convicted, Urban faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud.
“He also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity crimes, which will be consecutive to any other prison sentence imposed.”
