Tag: scattered spider
Teenage hackers take down JLR
Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has shut down its systems after suffering a cyber-attack. The group claiming responsibility for the attack, The Com, also referred to as Scattered Spider, is a loosely affiliated online community of predominantly teenage English-speaking hackers based in the UK and the US.
Teenage hackers run rings around cyber-defenses
The recent UK retail cyberattacks that impacted Marks & Spencer and the Co-Op supermarket chain are only the tip of a very large iceberg that now threatens organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. Although media reports have attributed the attacks to a group named “Scattered Spider,” the actual threat is far bigger. For a start, there is no criminal group that actually calls itself “Scattered Spider”, which is just a made-up name attributed by cybersecurity researchers. These attacks and many others in the US and the UK are now known to be the work of a vast sprawling network of hackers, some as young as 14, spread across the US and the UK. They call themselves “the Community”, or “the Com” for short, and are essentially a vast teenage subculture of criminal hackers.
UK government issues urgent cybercrime warning
The UK government is issuing a warning this week to all companies to make cybersecurity an “absolute priority”, following recent cyberattacks on retailers Marks & Spencer, Harrods, and the Co-op. UK cabinet office minister Pat McFadden is reported to have held a briefing last week with national security officials and the CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Horne, aimed at providing support to the three retail groups.
Ransomware payments top US$1 billion in 2023
Last year, ransomware payments topped US$1 billion for the first time. According to a report from blockchain analyst firm Chainalysis, in 2023 ransomware gangs reached “an unprecedented milestone” in extorted cryptocurrency payments. “This number does not capture the economic impact of productivity loss and repair costs associated with attacks. This is evident in cases like the ALPHV-BlackCat and Scattered Spider’s bold targeting of MGM resorts. While MGM did not pay the ransom, it estimates damages cost the business over US$100 million,” warns the report.
The EU’s Proposed Cybersecurity Certification Scheme – November 24th
The European Union's Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) is studying the possibility of broadening the proposed cybersecurity labeling rules that may affect big tech operating in Europe. The proposed EU certification scheme (EUCS) vouches for further cybersecurity measures of cloud services, ensuring companies in the bloc select an EU-based certified cybersecurity vendor for their business.
Scattered Spider suspected to be behind Clorox Co breach – October 5th
The hacker group behind the recent breaches of major casino companies, called Scattered Spider, is suspected to be behind a recent attack against Clorox Co in Malaysia. This breach has led to a nationwide shortage of cleaning products and displays the same social-engineering tactics of Scattered Spider.
$53-million in cryptocurrency stolen by hackers – September 14th
Hackers have seized $53 million worth of cryptocurrency from CoinEx. Hackers violated the site's hot wallets, taking the cryptocurrency, with CoinEx reassuring that user assets had not been impacted by the incident.