Hacking collective Scattered Spider had a suspected teen member believed to be part of the September ransomware attack against MGM Resorts arrested by UK police in coordination with the FBI, BleepingComputer reports.
Such an arrest, which was based on suspected Blackmail and Computer Misuse Act violations and also resulted in the sequestration of the teen's digital devices, is part of a joint UK and U.S. effort in cracking down Scattered Spider, said the UK's West Midlands Police in a statement, which also noted the teen's release on bail.
The development comes after Scattered Spider — also known as UNC3944, 0ktapus, Muddled Libra, Octo Tempest, and Scatter Swine — bolstered partnerships with several Russian ransomware operations, such as RansomHub, ALPHV/BlackCat, and Qilin, to conduct attacks against Caesars Entertainment, Reddit, Riot Games, Twilio, MailChimp, and DoorDash, during the past 12 months. Scattered Spider was previously reported by the FBI to have been utilizing not only SIM swapping and social engineering attacks but also multi-factor authentication fatigue and phishing intrusions.
