Jakarta US federal prosecutors this week unveiled criminal charges against five people suspected of involvement in the hacker group “Scattered Spider”. He is accused of breaking into dozens of companies in the US and stealing confidential information and cryptocurrency.

Martin Estrada, U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles, said the defendants conducted phishing attacks by sending fake text messages that resembled official notifications to company employees. The message contained links requesting login information, which allowed hackers to steal millions of dollars worth of company data and cryptocurrency from individual accounts.

At least 12 companies in various sectors including gaming, outsourcing, telecommunications, and cryptocurrency, as well as millions of people, were affected. However, the officials did not reveal the names of the affected companies.

Scattered Spider is known as a hacker community consisting of small groups, including young people, who work together periodically. The group became known for its cybercrime offensive targeting large multinational companies and cryptocurrency investors.

The five defendants announced were:

He was charged with two counts of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Buchanan also faces additional fraud-related charges. Their illegal activities took place between September 2021 and April 2023.

Buchanan was arrested last June at Palma de Mallorca airport in Spain while trying to board a plane bound for Naples. Currently, he is awaiting extradition to the United States. Meanwhile, Evans was arrested in North Carolina, and Urban pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of wire fraud in a separate case in Florida.

Nixon’s head of research at the Unit 221B cybersecurity firm confirmed that the era of cybercrime without consequences is over. “Law enforcement agencies are now more aggressive in dealing with this wave of cybercrimes,” he said. Nixon also appealed to youth involved in the cybercrime culture to desist immediately before they become the next target.

The group previously gained attention in September 2023 when it successfully hacked the networks of casino operators Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, prompting Caesars to restore its network to the US. A ransom of $15 million (Rp238.5 billion) was paid. However, it is not clear whether these five accused had anything to do with the incident.

The US Department of Justice and other affected companies have not commented further on the case.

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