30s Summary
Five suspected members of the Scattered Spider hacking group have been charged by US prosecutors for stealing about $11 million in cryptocurrencies and sensitive data from numerous businesses and individuals. The group reportedly conducted SIM swapping or sent phishing texts to obtain logins. One victim lost over $6.3 million in crypto. The group targeted 45 firms in the US, Canada, India, and the UK, including a crypto exchange, tricking employees into providing login details. The perpetrators face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and identity theft, which could result in up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Full Article
Five people, who are believed to be part of a hacking group, have been charged by US prosecutors. The group is accused of hacking several businesses and individuals, with the aim of stealing around $11 million in crypto and sensitive information.
The defendants reportedly sent texts containing phishing links or switched up SIM cards of certain company employees and individuals, allowing them to steal their login details to their work or crypto exchange accounts. This information comes from the California US Attorney’s Office, who made the announcement on November 20.
The court documents show there were at least 29 victims of individual crypto theft. The prosecutors have said that one victim alone had over $6.3 million worth of crypto stolen after their email and wallets were hacked.
The hacking group targeted 45 companies across the US, Canada, India and the UK. One of these was a crypto exchange in the US. The employees at this exchange were tricked with fake text messages telling them their accounts would be deactivated. They were then given a phishing link which tricked them into revealing their sensitive login details.
Martin Estrada, the US Attorney in Los Angeles, commented on the sophistication of the hackers’ scheme. They managed to steal tens of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and proprietary information, as well as personal information from hundreds of thousands of individuals.
The defendants are said to all be part of the Scattered Spider hacking group. They worked together from September 2021 to April 2023 and consist of Ahmed Elbadawy, 23, Noah Urban, 20, Evans Osiebo, 20, Joel Evans, 25, and Tyler Buchanan, 22. These men hail from Texas, Florida, Dallas, North Carolina, and Scotland, respectively.
Each of these individuals is being charged with conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Tyler Buchanan is also facing an additional charge of wire fraud. The fraud-related charges could see them facing up to 20 years in prison.
Last November, Reuters reported that the FBI had difficulties trying to stop the activities of Scattered Spider. It’s not immediately clear whether any of these five accused individuals were part of the casino hacks. However, from one court document, it’s suspected that others may also be involved in these crimes.
The FBI and Police Scotland were involved in the investigation. They traced Buchanan via information he had provided to register phishing sites. A search of his devices found data that had been stolen from a US crypto exchange, as well as information from a US telecom company. Lawyers for each defendant haven’t been revealed yet.