Authorities within the UK have arrested and charged two people for his or her alleged roles within the notorious hacking group Scattered Spider. Certainly one of them has been charged within the US as effectively.
The suspects, Thalha Jubair, 19, from East London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, West Midlands, had been charged within the UK for a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that disrupted sure companies, with no precise impression on transportation.
Flowers was initially arrested in September 2024 in reference to the assault, however the investigators have uncovered proof linking him to intrusions at US healthcare organizations and have now introduced further fees towards him.
On Thursday, US regulation enforcement unsealed a criticism charging Jubair over his alleged involvement in over 120 cyberattacks towards organizations worldwide, together with 47 US entities.
In line with the criticism, Jubair (aka ‘EarthtoStar’, ‘Brad’, ‘Austin’, and ‘@autistic’) and his co-conspirators used social engineering to hack into organizations’ networks, stole and encrypted information, and extorted the victims by demanding ransom funds in change for not leaking the stolen information on-line.
Between Might 2022 and September 2025, the criticism alleges, Jubair and his co-conspirators hacked into at the least 120 networks and obtained greater than $115 million in ransom funds.
“These malicious assaults brought about widespread disruption to U.S. companies and organizations, together with crucial infrastructure and the federal courtroom system, highlighting the numerous and rising menace posed by brazen cybercriminals,” Appearing Assistant Lawyer Normal Matthew R. Galeotti mentioned.
In line with the criticism, Jubair was accountable for wallets and servers through which roughly $36 million in cryptocurrency was saved. In July 2024, when authorities had been seizing the servers, Jubair transferred roughly $8.4 million to a different pockets.Commercial. Scroll to proceed studying.
The US charged Jubair with pc fraud, wire fraud, and cash laundering conspiracy. He faces as much as 95 years in jail.
Over the previous yr, authorities have arrested, charged, and sentenced a number of different people for his or her alleged ties with the Scattered Spider group.
The most recent arrests and fees had been introduced simply because the Scattered Spider hacking group, also referred to as Octo Tempest, UNC3944, and 0ktapus, introduced its retirement.
The cybersecurity business is skeptical of the claims, and ReliaQuest has since discovered proof that the cybercriminals proceed to be energetic, with their newest assaults focusing on the monetary sector.
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